Coming Home
by HeatherJS
Summary: After years of leading a path of blood and destruction and exacting her revenge, Xena decides she wants to head home where she hoped it would get rid of the emptiness that was consuming her troubled soul.
1. Home

Chapter 1

She stood motionless on the cold and dreary deck of the ship she was traveling on without even realizing the passing of time, gazing off into the darkness. She couldn't really tell how long she had been standing there, it seemed like forever to her as she listened to the waves crash against the side of the vessel. She was anxious to reach port already, they had been sailing for about three days and she couldn't wait to be back on Greek soil again. It had been so long since she last stepped foot on that land…Six years had passed since she left everything behind to avenge Lyceus' death. A lot had happened during her time away, nasty and soul scarring things that couldn't be undone and today she was a completely different person than when she had left all those years ago.

She had led an endless path of blood and destruction through the various lands to the East in order to get what she really wanted- to hunt down the bastard who had cold bloodedly taken her brother away from her. In the meantime, she had even gotten mixed up with some shady looking people but it didn't matter to her, as long as they could help her achieve what she wanted then she was going to use them all to her advantage. But as the years slowly went by, that goal appeared to be drifting further and further from her view and instead, her mind was plagued of other thoughts that were far more sinister. The hatred that was inside of her for what had been taken away from her had started to fester and the constant whispers in her ear about dominating all of the known land to exact her revenge seemed like a light in the darkness.

She had done some unspeakable things to countless lands and she couldn't believe how easily she had been led astray to help the cause of another. The darkness growing inside of her proved to be incredibly easily fanned into a roaring fire up to the point that she could do nothing else but satisfy that craving of making the world hurt and burn. Those were her darkest years and she still wasn't sure how she had managed to make it out of it in one piece, though she knew she would be forever changed by it. There was no going back to what she used to be, the simple village girl whose only worry was how she was going to get out of the chores her mother had assigned her for the day. No, she was a warrior, one whose name had struck fear into the hearts of men and made nations tremble.

She couldn't escape from the things that she had done but all she wanted to do now was go home. She wanted to go to the one place that had been her refuge for so long before she had left on the path of destruction and spiraled out of control, back to the place where she felt safe before she let the manipulation of another coax her into something that she thought she wanted and when she finally did get it she realized that she was really all alone. That scheming bastard had abandoned her at the first chance he got once he no longer had any use for her. She couldn't believe that she had been so blind by his lies, that the hatred that was consuming her soul had veiled her vision to the extent that she couldn't see what she was really doing.

She hated herself for having allowed him in, in every way. She had never loved him, she knew that, but there was a bit of trust on what they had built together and when she thought he was going to be there he simply ransomed her off to the one person that he knew she hated with her entire being. Cortese…. The bastard had served her up on a silver platter to him, he took what he wanted from her and didn't even bat an eye as he left her there in chains at the feet of the one who had taken her brother from her.

Her new found hatred for the one who had betrayed her had given her a new focus. She had spent a few days chained against a pole in a tent in Cortese's camp but what they didn't know was that she had let them think they really had her. Sure, it looked like she was the one that was in trouble as the guards would come in and taunt her of what was going to happen to her but she had been planning that moment for years and nothing was going to get in the way of her revenge.

As the fifth day passed, she patiently waited for the sun to set and when everyone was too busy celebrating some recent raid they just finished, she slipped from her restraints and quietly escaped her confines. As unnoticed as a shadow- previous training from a time that seemed so long ago and that had prepared her for this moment- she gathered her weapons and headed towards her target. She slowly made her way to the commander's tent, unseen and swiftly slipped inside. Although she had made sure that she was as stealthy as possible, the filthy bastard wouldn't have taken notice of her presence anyway since he was too busy fucking some defenseless maiden they had taken from the village that they had just destroyed.

Xena couldn't care less about the girl, she wasn't even part of the plan, but the desperate look on her face as she silently stared at her while Cortese brutally thrust himself within her, was one of a soundless plea. She couldn't ignore the pain that come across her face when Cortese savagely jerked her closer to him and relentlessly started impaling her. The sounds of his filthy grunts as he enjoyed the way his cock plunged into her and the single tear that ran down the young girl's face as he continued to soil her had sparked something in Xena. She didn't know why but she felt compelled to end her suffering and she quickly walked up to them and forcefully pulled him off of her and knocked him to the ground.

Cortese had been in shock that there was someone else in his tent and that it had been his prisoner that was now standing over him. He never had time to react before Xena pulled her blade from its sheath and plunged it into his chest. She took joy as she watched the life slowly fading from him but the last thing she wanted was to give him a quick death, so she pulled her sword out and left him there to bleed to death while his men rejoiced just a few feet away from their dying commander.

She spent the following few days just wandering from place to place, not really able to decide what her next move should be. She had thought that once Cortese was dead, that emptiness she had been feeling all this time would finally leave her troubled soul. But it was nothing like that… She finally killed him, yes, but she still had this unpleasant sensation like nothing had changed. Something was missing and that is when the thoughts of wanting to go home started to invade her mind. Going back to a place where she was welcomed was like a dream come true and though she hadn't realized it then, she had been happy there. It was her home, no matter how dysfunctional things had gotten, how crazy of a turn her life had taken, one could always go back home. She briefly wondered if she would be easily accepted when she got there, a bit nervous of the reaction she was going to get.

A lot of time had passed and things must have changed a little. She wondered if it was still the way she remembered it, it seemed like a faraway memory but she could still picture it clearly in her head. She really wanted to return there and she was gradually growing more and more restless on that blasted ship. Just a few more hours until sunrise and they would be docking and then soon she would be able to go back to the one place that was home in her heart and take comfort in what she hadn't realized until recently that she had missed throughout all those years of loneliness.

It was her home after all, how could she be turned away?


	2. Thoughts of Doubt

Chapter 2

Finally, after what felt like ages to her, the ship had at last made port. After such a long time she was finally back on Greek soil, and she looked around at the busy villagers that were just moseying around as they went on about their day. To them, there was nothing out of the ordinary, it was just another ship that had docked at their port to unload the supplies that it was carrying. Xena let her eyes scan the area for a moment, taking in the simple villagers, ones that not too long ago she wouldn't have even given a second thought to. It was just another day for them, seeing what goods they could trade in the market, what type of bargains they could rattle out of the salesmen and others just tending to their business as the hustle and bustle of the day's activities went on. All of them, too engaged to notice anything that wasn't supposed to be there, let alone the fierce warrior that now stood on their dock watching the activities closely.

Xena let out a soft sigh and carefully made her way into the crowd of peasants. She wanted to just blend in with the crowd, she didn't want to be recognized and cause an unnecessary ruckus. The streets seemed to have been extra crowded that day and she pushed and shoved her way through the dense horde of people, trying to reach her destination. After a bit more of a few rough pushes from eager to trade in their belongings villagers and a couple of rough shoves and icy glares from her, Xena finally managed to make her way to a stable. She needed to get herself a horse for the long journey she had ahead of her. She had figured that she could walk there but it was going to take her at least eight days to reach her destination by foot and she would have to get more supplies for that type of trip and she just wanted to be home already.

She made her way carefully to each stall and looked at the various horses that were inside. All of the horses in the stable looked very eager to escape from their small confines and she couldn't help but think of the horse that she had left behind so many years ago. She couldn't take her with her when she had left and Xena missed her tremendously. She had wondered countless times what had happened to her, if she was even still alive, if anyone had taken care of her. Argo had never liked anyone but herself to tend to her and she was afraid that the stubborn horse might have managed to keep away the necessary treatment that was required by others to take care of her. A small frown formed on her face as she thought about how Argo had probably waited for her to come back and that she had let her down with having been away for so long.

She finally came to this one black stallion that kept prancing in place, eager for freedom as he pawed at the ground restlessly. Xena smiled faintly at the horse and cautiously made her way into his stall. She moved slowly over to him and gently ran her hand up and down his muzzle and he neighed softly at the contact. He seemed to like her as he nuzzled against her slightly and she soon picked up a brush and started to brush him down. She made small gentle strokes along his strong body and as she moved slightly down his torso she noticed the scarring that was along his side. She couldn't help but laugh softly to herself, he must have had a rough journey in his life, much like the one she had and they seemed to be the perfect match.

Satisfied that she had brushed him down enough, she quickly tacked his saddle on him and packed what little belongings she had with her to him and led him out of the stall. She soon found the owner and much to her surprise, he didn't want much for the horse. Lucky for her, since she didn't have a lot of money to spare anyway but she felt a bit sad for the stallion. He was a magnificent horse and his few scars shouldn't limit him to wallow away in a stable forever. She couldn't help but think how much alike they really were, a little more rougher path in life for them both and they would forever be seen different in the eyes of the people they met- for everyone would only pay attention to the scars life had given them and not the creature that was underneath, the creature that was strong enough to survive them.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Xena had traveled the whole day and pushed her new found friend hard and she was pleased that he was able to keep up with her demands. He was more than eager to stretch his legs then she had originally thought and had cut her journey in half by the time she finally decided to make camp for the night. She quickly untacked him and brushed him down and led him to graze in a small clearing just a short distance from her camp. She soon had herself set up for the night and she was just sitting next to the fire wondering about how things were going to unfold. She was so nervous of how things were going to go once she finally got there. She figured she still had a hard days ride before she arrived at her destination and she just wanted to be there already.

With her great luck, she had found the only ship that was going to Greece that was going to make port the furthest from where she was going. She supposed it was for the best though, as much as she was impatient to be there she was dreading it at the same time. As she continued to sit there with her thoughts, she couldn't help wondering what it was that he was doing, she had left so suddenly and she hadn't seen him in the last six years, which had actually surprised her. She hadn't realized it then, but the War God was a part of her more than she knew. She was confused back then of the feelings he would bring out of her that she felt for him. It was like he could completely engulf her when their gazes would meet, she felt as if there was nothing else in the world but themselves and the times that he had touched her had made her every nerve go insane.

The fact that those feelings were so strong, and that they were just for one person, had scared her beyond words and when she had caught word of Corteses' location she quickly jumped at the chance to exact her revenge and put some much needed space between herself and Ares. She hadn't expected to be gone for so long but one thing had led to another and before she knew it, the years had just flown by. Now that she thought about it though, the timing couldn't have been worse for when she had decided to leave. After months of tip toeing around that barely contained desire, the flirting, the delicate caresses, the all-consuming glances, they had given in to their passion for the other. She wasn't sure how it had happened, they were training just like any other day, teasing and toying with the other and before she knew it, they were a mixture of limbs as lips melded against each other hungrily and arms wrapped around possessively while they fervently pulled at the other's clothing.

They had ended up making love all night long, pausing for small bits of rest before they continued on their journey of learning every single inch of each other's bodies that they did not know before. It had been an amazing night and she couldn't count how many times she had climaxed before they had finally collapsed in each other's arms and drifted off to sleep entwined together. She had awakened that next morning feeling deliciously sore and the most tender of caresses stroking her hair. She had opened her eyes to see the War God staring fondly down at her as he softly moved his fingers down her cheek and he had soon leaned in and captured her lips in a sweet good morning kiss. What had started off as a few soft kisses had quickly turned a little more passionate of course and Ares had soon rolled on top of her and slowly slid himself inside of her and started to gently thrust himself within her. They made love again, several times that morning before they finally managed to finally pull themselves apart and crawl their way out of his bed and get on with the day.

Even though she had enjoyed herself immensely the entire time, as the day went on that is when thoughts of doubt started to enter her mind. She started to think that maybe she shouldn't have given herself so completely to him, especially when she was so confused about how she really felt about him, so when she had gotten the tip of where Cortese was going to be she quickly jumped at it, refusing to think about what it was that she was really leaving behind to get her revenge. She had left the place that was her home without a word and now she wasn't sure how Ares was going to react once they saw each other again.

Xena laid down in her bedroll and silently stared up at the night sky. She wanted to go to the one place that was home in her heart and where she would be accepted fully with no judgment and that was the Halls of War with Ares. But with the way she had left, she wasn't sure how much of a home she even had left.


	3. Deafening Silence

Chapter 3

It felt like eternal seconds, years really seemed to just keep on going by as she stood there at the base line of the trees, staring at the dark temple that was in front of her. She had finally made it to her destination and all seemed eerily quiet as she stood there, not really quite sure of what her next move should be. It was a place that she had been to countless times before but yet, standing there now, she felt like a complete stranger…She had no right to even be there, and she knew it. She was glad that she was able to make it before the sun had fully set. Turning to her new found companion she whispered something softly in his ear and he soon wandered off. The Warrior Princess could now focus back to the Halls of War, anxiety filling her as she ran her eyes over the dark but yet oh so familiar temple where she had spent a lot of her time and she slowly made her way to it. With hurried but at the same time cautious movements, she climbed the grey stone steps and slipped inside and looked around for a moment at the slightly dim hallways. Strangely, there was no one there and she made her way further into the temple. She figured that maybe they were out at the moment getting supplies and she made her way down the different corridors she knew by heart.

She took several twists and turns but having gone down these hallways so many times before she could find her way around even in the dark if she had to. After a few more moments, she finally came to a single wooden door and pushed it open and stepped inside the War God's throne room. She let her blue eyes scan the familiar room for a moment and then she made her way to the center of the room, the middle of which was dominated by his huge ebony, skeleton throne. She wasn't sure how to go about it, it wasn't like she was just passing through after a small battle. There were a million different ways that this meeting could go and she had a slight idea, or two, of what was going to happen but she was not the type to stall for long when she wanted to get something over with and soon she had called out his name.

"Ares." the name fell from her lips like a tender caress and she stood there for a couple of seconds waiting for the Olympian to show himself.

But oddly enough, the War God did not come and she looked around the room for a moment before she called out his name once more. Again, she stood and she waited for a few more minutes and she called his name a few more times but was met with nothing more than an empty throne room and a deafening silence. She started to think that maybe he was just standing off out of sight to just toy with her like he always did and she soon let her sapphire eyes scan the room again but quickly chastised herself for that. She could always feel him when he was near her, he had a distinct presence that she could constantly pick up on and she knew that he was not there now.

The Warrior Princess wasn't exactly sure how their first meeting after all those years was going to go but she certainly never thought about this one. The thought of him refusing to show up had by no means, for a single second, ever even crossed her mind. He was always there, lingering around and now he just wasn't anymore. Could her actions have really have damaged their intricate relationship that much? ….That on one of the few times that she called for him, he wouldn't show? The thought was completely confusing to her, stunning her beyond words.

A barrage of thoughts started to consume her mind and for a second she even considered the possibility that maybe he was too busy with some new female warrior to pay any sort of attention to the fact that his Chosen had called out his name and was standing in his temple. He was probably tending to her every need at this very moment, telling her all about what a magnificent warrior she was and how she had been everything that he had been looking for. In short, all the things that he had once said to her and how he was most likely holding her in his arms, making love to her throughout the whole night to have even taken the time to take notice of his Chosen's presence. Unwillingly, she felt a spark of jealousy at the thought of some other woman being the one that got to enjoy the feeling of his strong, warm, comforting embrace wrapped around her, the one he was giving pleasure to. It was the sound of her moans of ecstasy that made the War God crave for more before they would finally collapse into each other's arms. The way she was most likely laying her head upon his chest as their passion filled bodies slowly cooled down made Xena tremble with an unprecedented rage….She couldn't even conceive it… The same chest that she had used as her own private pillow countless nights before when she couldn't sleep, the unique aroma that used to lull her off to Morpheus' realm with the feeling of complete safety surrounding her- knowing that nothing could touch her with those arms wrapped around her for the night- all that didn't belong to her anymore, but to another…. She felt tears well up in her eyes at the thought and she quickly fought them back while the endless assault of scenarios of what the two of them were doing together invaded her mind.

She didn't have the right to be upset, she was the one that had left what she didn't realize that she had at the time. She knew that she was still his Chosen, that bond could only be severed by death and she was actually a little surprised that she was still breathing because she knew the way Ares took betrayal. But apparently that bond didn't matter anymore, not to him, and it didn't permit any type of notice from the War God since she couldn't even get him to show up when she called out to him. But an ache formed within her at the thought that some harpy was draped all over him at that very moment and that she was able to capture his attention enough for him not to even know that she was there now.

In the past it was enough to barely whisper his name and the syllables would hardly leave her mouth before she would feel his presence and here she was now facing a reality in which she could no longer warrant an appearance of her patron God. A few years back, half the time she didn't even have to say anything, her mood would just have to change and he would instantly be there by her side, whether she wanted him there or not. His presence just hovering around her at all times, constantly invading her personal space with his overwhelming, intoxicating essence had suddenly turned into an old, but very much pleasant memory, making her pulse run rampant throughout her veins by his closeness, causing her to get lost in those pure sensation, forgetting everything else when he was near her as if nothing else mattered except for what was happening between the two of them at that very moment and now…. he had moved on. The War God had found himself another warrior to dote upon and shower his attention with, someone who would appreciate his efforts a little more than she had and the sudden anguish she felt at the awareness was horrible. She looked hopelessly around at the empty throne room, she had destroyed her only real home, the one place where she was fully accepted and now she no longer even had that anymore to go to.

What was she supposed to do now? She knew things weren't going to be easy but she had never thought that he was not going to show up. Even if he was mad at her, she could have handled that and him being there would have made it all a little more bearable. The War God had told her once that she could always find refuge with him, but it appeared that was just an empty promise and even though at the time she didn't believe him, now she had secretly hoped that it was indeed true. A lone tear made its way down her cheek and she quickly wiped at it with the back of her hand. She should have known better, she had burned that bridge the moment she had decided to leave. He didn't take treachery lightly but deep down she had clung to the hope that he had made an exception when he didn't kill her after she had left and she could still come back home after all this time.

Once again, she found herself exactly where she had started all those years ago, completely and utterly alone. The only difference now was that the despairing hollowness was ten times worse than it was back then and there was going to be no War God showing up to somehow ease it and she had no one else to turn to. No one would have understood anyway and she figured that she could as well head to Amphipolis next but it didn't bring her the same peace of mind as being in his presence would have done but it was the next best option. It was time for her to return to her village, it wasn't _home_ to Xena but it had family at least, that had to count for something, right? Strangely though, that thought did not bring her any type of comfort at all, if anything, it had the exact opposite effect. She could already predict the less than welcome homecoming that she was going to receive once she got there. The stares that she was going to get for having dared set foot back in her home valley, the judgment that they were going to make on her about something that they did not entirely understand and nor would they ever comprehend. Needless to say, she was in no hurry to get back there but she had to start somewhere. She needed a place to stay until she could figure out what it was that she was going to do next.

Indeed, when the notion of coming home had entered her mind, it was not the fields of Amphipolis that had invaded her thoughts, it wasn't the loving embrace of a mother and daughter finding each other again after so many years apart, and it wasn't even the Halls of War directly. It was just…. Ares… thoughts of the two of them together from a time that seemed so long ago had whirled ceaselessly around in her head for days before she finally decided to come back. She just wanted to see him again, an idea that she would not have voiced out loud for anything in the world. It was ok to keep it to herself though, where she could battle with the meaning of that in her mind but to give it voice was something else entirely, a reality that she wasn't ready to deal with yet. How could one person be thought of as a home? Surely there had to have been more to it than someone's mere presence alone. A thought that she had wrestled with throughout her whole journey there and one that she wasn't even close to figuring out an answer to. But she did have an answer though, one that she was denying considerably to herself and refusing to even entertain the thought of as she viciously fought it back again and again every time her mind had tried to engage the thought when she would linger for far too long on a moment, one of several actually, that had happened between them

But now there was nothing left for her here, she couldn't escape her past but apparently she couldn't go back to it either, at least not this one anyway. She took one last long look around the place that had been her home for so long and the memories of a time long ago filled her head of when the War God was attentive to her each and every need as she slowly left his throne room.


	4. The Death of Him

Chapter 4

The thoughts viciously invaded her mind and they just wouldn't leave her alone as she made her way down the hallways. She tried desperately to block them out and she really didn't want to think about Ares anymore but they were relentless in reminding her of what she had cast aside to fulfill a personal vendetta. Her naïve foolishness had led her to a path of complete destruction that was littered with an outrageous amount of horrendous deeds and turned her into a person she didn't even recognize from the warrior she had once been when she was with Ares. Though she would never admit it out loud, she would have given anything that moment to feel the War God's arms around her once again. She never knew how he did it exactly, but he always managed to relax her, sheltering her from the things that she just didn't want to deal with momentarily and encasing her in his protective embrace to keep her from all of it.

Images flashed in her mind, those warm soothing caresses, the way he would glide his fingertips with the most delicate touch across her skin. Running his fingers through her hair, and every now and then placing an affectionate kiss on the top of her head was what she loved the most from their times together….And that mysterious look in his eyes, one that she could never quite decipher, one mixed with pure desire and admiration making her think that he was going to devour her the following second judging by his lingering gaze, only to shock her a few moments later when all he did was place an adoring kiss against her forehead and skillfully run his fingers against her body, making her shiver frenziedly from his touch before he would just simply encase her in his arms and softly begin to stroke her hair. She had always told herself at the time that the gesture annoyed her beyond words, since she didn't like the way he overtook her senses with just a mere touch, which now she wished that she still had. His hold was always the same, whether he was coaxing her down from a nightmare or whether he was furious with her for having gotten herself in an avoidable situation, in a place that she shouldn't have been.

The tears welled up in her eyes again from the memory and this time she didn't even try to hold them back and they fell freely down her cheeks. Her vision began to grow blurry from the assault of tears that now stained her face, and she was doing everything that she possibly could to just try and keep herself together long enough to make it out of his temple. It would not do her any good to break down in it now but those damn memories just wouldn't leave her alone and it made it that much harder for her to try and stop them.

Xxxxxx

_It had only been a few months since Ares had taken a still very naïve Xena under his wing and the War God was late for a training session that they were supposed to be having at that very moment. Xena was growing restless waiting in his throne room for the Olympian to arrive, exhaling an exaggerated tired breath while she was casually sitting bored on his throne as if she owned the place, and once she decided that since he wasn't going to come that she __headed out__ of the temple and go for a small walk. She unhurriedly made her way through the trees, it had been a while since she had last ventured this far out from the temple without Ares by her side and for the first time she took in the peaceful scenery as she continued on her stroll. _

_It was nice to __just be able to go__ for a serene walk without having the constant questions of the War God jabbering in her ear all the time, __constantly talking__ about what plant could help her heal a certain wound or __what could have made__ the tracks they would stumble upon every now and then and how to make false trails of her own to help her elude a foe if __she were__ ever in trouble. The way he would go over things repeatedly made her annoyed with him, the many times she had to answer the same questions over and over again __often turned their walks into__ little arguments before she would get fed up and just storm off away from him, completely irritated with Ares, __finally deciding__ to head back to the temple on her own. But somehow the War God always managed to lead her so far into the woods, which she thought she had learned by then and could easily get herself out, that she __always__ ended up getting lost in them._

_The Warrior Princess would end up wandering around the woods for hours, cursing his name whenever she would trip over a root that had the audacity to get in her way, causing her to stumble to the ground. She would refuse to call out for him though, not wanting to admit that she was indeed lost and that she wouldn't be able to make it out of the forest by herself. So instead, she would just keep on walking and the sun would fade more and more from the sky until she was eventually traveling around in the dark. Not being prepared for the cold nights __from the areas__ his temple were located, she would end up shivering slightly while she continued on her track. Not being able to continue because of the cold, Xena __sometimes built__ herself a small fire and sat huddled up as close to it as possible while the cold wind blew at her back, making her shiver more, curling her body tighter into herself, trying to keep warm as much as she could. _

_But just when that wind would blow a little harder, making her small fire flicker and tease of going out, __he used to come__ to collect her. Her shivering __form would just glare at him from__ a__cross the fire, turning__ her head away and proceeded to ignore him. She was still mad at Ares and she didn't want him there with her, even though she knew that she would freeze to death if she stayed in this forest overnight. _

_Paying no attention to__her childish behavior,__ the War God simply shook his head slightly at her arrogance, Gods she could be so infuriating and the Fates only knew why they had sent her to him to constantly test his patience. __He then__ studied her for a moment more, watching how she was trying to act like she wasn't freezing- despite her obviously trembling body- shivering more and more as the cold wind blew harshly again and causing her to shift, almost unnoticeably closer to the fire in front of her to stay warm. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with her, the way she constantly fought him was irritating but he loved it anyway._

_Ares usually__ saw how her sapphire eyes shifted to him for the slightest instant before she quickly looked away again and a soft smile formed on his face, his sweet Princess was stubborn to the core, refusing to admit that she needed help if she wanted to survive the night because she was angry with him and he causally made his way over to her. She still refused to look at him though as he got closer and as he gently picked her shaking body up into his warm embrace, Xena__ always__ smiled to herself. He had been the one to break, not her, and him coming to offer her warmth was his silent apology for their heated confrontation earlier in the day and she simply cuddled victoriously closer to him, greedily burrowing her face into the crook of his neck to try and repel the coldness that had taken seize over her body before he had taken her back to the warmth of her bed chamber where he stayed with her and hovered over her for the rest of the night to make sure that she was really going to be ok. _

_She immediately pushed the unwanted memory of the two of them together like that from her mind; she didn't need that kind of stress at the moment, and she continued to make her way through the trees, more than pleased that she didn't have to see his face for once. It had been a few weeks now since Ares finally started to go more into sword fighting with her. Training her on the different techniques that she could use and the various moves he had her do over and over again until she had finally nailed them all perfectly, though some she still needed to work on. But now she was actually glad that he was a no show for their little meeting. It gave her a chance to just enjoy a day when she didn't have to constantly hear him telling her what to do._

_As she continued to walk, heading further and further away from the safety of __ his__ temple, __leaving behind__ the protection that the land around provided, she realized that __this had actually been __the only day that she had gone this long without seeing Ares since they met. She hadn't seen him since the day before when he left her in the morning because one of his generals were calling for him and it seemed that she was actually missing his arrogant presence. Now things seemed way too quiet for her liking and a small frown formed on her face, not liking that the War God never showed and made her spend the last two days alone. How was she supposed to find a new way to get under his skin if he just abandoned her? She was going to make him pay for that and her devilish mind started to think of all the ways that she could do just that._

_While her mind was thinking of all the different ways that she could spite him, her__ busy mind__ shortly started to think of other times they had spent together….Her malicious thoughts to get even with him soon faded and were replaced with more calming ones of the times they had __enjoyed alone__ together. The War God gently holding her in his arms, softly running his fingertips up and down her arm while she nestled herself against __him,__ taking comfort in his presence while he patiently waited for her to fall asleep. He was the best pillow in the world and she loved those nights greatly when he would actually stay with her. It gave her the chance to give in to her guilty pleasure of feeling his embrace and although she wasn't entirely sure, it seemed like Ares would enjoy it too. Whenever she would shift just a little, attempting to make herself more comfortable, his arms seemed to tighten their hold a small amount, as if worried that she was actually going to leave __him, wanting to__ make sure that she wasn't going anywhere. And right when __he thought__ that she was asleep, he would place delicate little kisses against the top of her head, making her smile inwardly from the feeling, not wanting to give herself away and perhaps disrupt the tranquil moment. _

_A fond smile formed on her face from the memory but as a wave of other countless similar situations started to run through her mind, a small ache formed in her chest. She started to wonder what he was doing that was keeping him away. She figured it was something urgent and she pondered how long he was actually going to be gone. She quickly chased that foolish thought out of her __head though,__ why would she miss his consistent hovering presence, she was glad to have a little time to herself, who knows when she was ever going to get that again._

_As she continued to work her way through the trees, succeeding in putting quite a significant amount of distance from the War Gods' territory, she soon came upon a small lake and decided to take a break and she sat down on a nearby log that was a little bit away from the water. She unlatched her sword from her back and placed it down on the ground beside the log and then moved closer to the river and dipped her hand in the water. She smiled a little at the __feeling of__ the cold water against her skin, it was a bit hot that day and she had walked for quite a while before she had found the secluded creek. She picked her hair up with one hand and then plunged the other back into the water and then brought it up and rubbed the cool liquid against the back of her neck. She sighed out softly to herself at the feeling and she soon moved her hand to her chest to try and cool down her incredibly hot body from her long walk._

_Taking a quick survey of the area around her and listening for a moment __without__ picking up anything out of the ordinary, she thought that it might be a good idea to take a quick swim. The day seemed to only be getting hotter, even though it was already well past mid-day and she took off what little armor she was wearing and then sat back down on the log and removed her boots. She walked back over to the edge of the water and dipped her foot into it and it was just the right temperature. A satisfied smile came across her face and she started to slip out of the battle dress that she was wearing when suddenly she heard a twig snap behind her and she hastily turned around to find four men walk their way into the clearing. _

_Two had already walked over to where her sword rested against the log and one picked it up and casually tossed it further away once he had finished inspecting it for a moment and she chastised herself for leaving her weapon so far out of reach. How many times __had Ares told__ her to always keep her guard up and never leave herself in a position of vulnerability? But yet, she had foolishly relinquished both things to her unexpected guests who were now looking at her wickedly as they fanned out a little in front of her. She shifted her eyes to each one of them and pinned them all with a cruel stare. _

"_Well, well, well… what do we have here?" one inquired as he slowly moved closer to her, "What is a helpless maiden, such as yourself, doing all alone out here? You know, it is quite dangerous to be wandering around the woods by yourself."_

"_I am far from helpless." Xena bit back as she held her ground._

_They all chuckled at her answer, they knew exactly who she was, they had heard how the God of War had picked a whore to be his Chosen and the markings that were on her sword and armor told __them all about her__ identity. So this was her, she looked like nothing more than a pathetic slut and clearly she didn't even know that rule number one was to always be aware of your surroundings. What great fortune they had to have stumbled upon her at this isolated lake and the fact that she was about to undress was even better. They could see what it was that had caught the War Gods attention in the first place but they weren't about to let some cunt upstage them in something that she didn't even deserve the title of just because she shared the __Olympian's__ bed. She would die and the War God would choose one of them to rightfully take her place like it should have been all along. The Chosen of War should never have been a pitiful girl to begin with in the first place. _

_Xena could see the glint that was in all of their eyes and she knew without a doubt that things were going to get physical. She only wished that she had her sword but she was just going to have to make it without it. They soon closed in the gap and it wasn't long before one attacked her, his movements were sloppy though and she swiftly landed a few good punches to his face and one quick kick to his stomach sent him sailing back. Another soon followed in his place and he got a few lucky jabs in but she had soon kicked at his leg and dislocated his kneecap and he fell to the ground in pain._

_The third man decided to play dirty and he unsheathed his blade and charged her. She stepped out of the way of all of his attacks, narrowly missing the slash of his sword as he swung it at her and she tripped him up and he stumbled to the ground. She quickly eyed her own blade a few feet away and when the fourth one came upon her she hastily jabbed her palm into his face and pushed him back roughly as blood poured from his broken nose. She dashed over to her blade and she was just about to pick it up when a vice like grip came around her waist and the next thing she knew she was being tossed away from it before her hand had the chance to close around the hilt of her sword and her body collided viciously on a nearby rock._

_She cried out in pain once she made contact and the sharp edges of the stone had torn at the flesh of her back and she could feel the __blood beginning__ to trickle down her spine. The one who had tossed her had soon walked over to her and delivered several brutal kicks to her abdomen with his heavy leather boot and she immediately curled her body into herself tightly so she could protect herself as she moaned out in pain from the blows that the piece of shit scum kept inflicting. _

_Xxxxxxx_

_Several miles away, in one of his temples in Thebes, the War God had been in a meeting with his generals- that had gone on way longer then he had originally thought it would have, __and though__ he had lost interest in it several hours before his thoughts __drifting __to something that was far more important in his mind then these failed plans- __he was forced to stay.__ He knew that he was late for his training session with Xena and he was sure that he was going to get an earful from her for being late. He smiled to himself at the fiery conversation he was certain that he was going to have with her once he arrived at his temple and the look that was going to be on her face, he could already see the anger in those dazzling sapphire eyes of hers and his body shivered in delight at the image. She was just so full of fire __and he was sure he was going__ to __enjoy __their little quick retorts. Her arrogance charmed him immensely and at the same time she could be so damn stubborn that he just wanted to ring her pretty little neck. His sweet, beautiful Princess… the thought of her constantly filled him with a sensation that he had only ever felt since the day that she walked into his life. She was different and quite special to him in a way that he just couldn't identify yet._

_As his general started to go over his new course of action that they were going to take, the Olympian's mind was completely adrift with the image __of her__ piercing, fiery blue eyes and long dark silky tresses that cascaded wildly around the sexiest female body that he had ever seen. His gorgeous Princess was a special kind of Goddess, one that enthralled him greatly not just with her unmatchable beauty but with her cunning wit that was as equal to his own and that only made her even more desirable to him. As far as the War God was concerned, she was the most magnificent creature in all the world and everyone else who had __ever __managed to catch the faintest interest from him, paled in comparison to his lovely Warrior Princess. _

_The moment their paths crossed, it was as if he__ were__ awaken from a deep slumber- boringly going through the motions of life for the past few millennia until that raven haired beauty ignited his life with a fire that burned with a fierce passion every day and he spent every available moment that he could at her side. _

_As his thoughts started to wander more into a physical encounter with his charming Princess, one that was quite pleasing and __aroused __him significantly, Ares was suddenly brought back to reality when he got hit with this enormous feeling of pain that rippled through his entire body. _

_He jerked some in the chair he was sitting in at the unexpected sensation, drawing a nervous glance from his general from the movement, and he knew exactly where that feeling had come from. It was Xena… he could feel her pain through their bond. He started to wonder how in Tartarus she could be hurt if she was supposed to be waiting in his temple for him. But he knew that her restlessness and naivety for having to wait for him had probably led her into something or somewhere that she wasn't supposed to be, that and her cockiness had probably gotten her into trouble. Not that she couldn't handle herself of course, she was showing great improvement when they were training and her skills were like none he had ever seen before but still, __there it was, a pain __he shouldn't have been feeling and there was something indeed wrong with her and the sensation started to make the War God grow more and more irritated while he __felt her__suffering__ unceasingly and, unconsciously. __His hand __drifted to his stomach for a moment and seconds later he left his general without a word- __there was just too much__ pain coming from her and he wasn't about to lose what he had just found._

_Within the matter of an instant, Ares soon rematerialized in the small clearing where Xena was and took in the scene that was before him. __He immediately__ sent an energy ball into the man that was standing over his Warrior Princess- who was curled up on the ground and he was viciously knocked away from her. The others, seeing that the Olympian had made an appearance quickly tried to make themselves unseen and get out of there. But there was no escaping his attentive eyes and soon, all of them were dead. _

_Having eliminated the threat, Ares quickly walked over to his Princess and bent down beside her and as he reached out to touch her, Xena quickly turned over to deliver a vicious punch to the person that dared to get close to her to protect herself. The War God immediately halted her assault and caught her fist in his hand, seeing the unruly fire that danced behind her eyes to cause harm to the person who had hurt her before she finally realized that it was him. The hate little by little started to disappear from her eyes a few seconds later, a hint of relief filling her dazzling sapphire eyes before she slowly curled back into herself and moaned out softly while she waited for the pain to die down. Ares__ then placed__ his hand on her back and she gasped out at the pain that went through her at the contact and he removed his hand, taking notice of the blood that now stained his palm. He gently scooped her up into his arms, careful to mind the wound on her back and transported them back to the Halls of War._

_Once they appeared inside her bed chamber, he carefully walked them over to the bed and gently laid her down on it and she curled into the fetal position as she moaned out in pain a little. The War God lightly turned her on to her stomach and took a closer look at the wound on her back and saw the gash that went across her exposed flesh. He was angry with her, __how had she even__managed to get__ herself into that type of situation and why was she that far out from his temple to begin with? The cut wasn't too bad and he soon healed it and turned her over and pushed her hands away roughly from her stomach that she was holding protectively and he splayed his hand against it and let his energy flow through her for a moment. He didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary, she was not wounded internally and would probably have a bit of light bruising in that area __and for an instant__, __he actually thought__ he should probably leave the bruising there to remind her of her mistake but the slight pain that he had seen flash in her eyes as he pressed his hand against her abdomen a little harder __quickly __made him change his mind. _

"_What were you thinking Xena?!" he told her coldly, growing more upset with her when she tried to move away from him and he simply seized her by the waist and roughly pushed her back down on the bed._

_The Warrior Princess immediately reacted__ to the situation and she pushed against his chest to get him away from her and she managed to create a small distance between them __while __once again __trying to__ get up. But that only seemed to anger the War God more and he grabbed her again and pulled her back to him, this time throwing her back down on the bed violently and then straddling her to keep her put. She struggled against his hold, trying to buck him off of herself but he was way too heavy and her efforts only made Ares loom over her more, placing his hands on either side of her head and leaning in closer so that she had no other choice but to look at him. _

_In her rebellious mind, she __still __wasn't about to do what he wanted and __instead she__ had a plan of her own on how to deal with __the War God,__ but that thought was quickly shattered to pieces when he grabbed her harshly by the jaw to make her look at him __the second__ she started to turn her head away._

"_I told you to wait for me here!" he breathed out dangerously, his grip on her jaw becoming tighter, digging his fingers into her cheeks viciously._

"_You didn't show up and I was tired of waiting!" she yelled back while she tried to remove his hand from her face but he just warded off her attempts and captured both of her wrists in his other hand and pinned them above her head roughly, making her wince from the force he had used. _

"_How many times have I told you to never let your guard down?! And where were your weapons, huh?! How was it that they were able to disarm you, you should have been able to wipe the floor with those pathetic mortals!" he shouted at her, his grip becoming even tighter as each word left his mouth as the thought of her senselessness filled his head, when was she going to learn to listen to him?_

_Xena stared angrily up at him, trying to suppress the pain that was being inflicted on her body and after squirming a little more, finally she managed to break free of his grasp and turned her head away from him. She couldn't stand looking at him, knowing that she had let him down with something that he had constantly been reinforcing to her since they started this. The tears pricked at her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She was disappointed with herself for having been so foolish in the first place and not realizing the danger sooner and she took a slow, steady breath to try and keep herself together. She felt like a small child being scorned, it wasn't the first time they had gotten into an argument with each other but this time he was extremely angry with her -like never been before- and his use of force on her was unnerving. Giving up on trying to get him off of her, she tried hopelessly to wiggle her wrists free of his vice like grip instead but she couldn't break it and her attempts only resulted with his hold becoming tighter and she had to suppress the urge to cry out in pain, she thought that he was going to break her bones. _

"_I just wanted to go for a swim." she whispered out softly after a few more moments of feeling his angry glare upon her, keeping her gaze locked on the bed sheets and fighting to keep the tears back, not daring to look back up into his __eyes to see the__ disappointment in them. _

_She gritted her teeth through the pain and the intensity of __the__ fury that she could feel coming from his tense form__, actually making her a__ little scared of him._

_The tone of her voice was like a vicious slap across the face to Ares, he expected anger from her but not this, she sounded so defeated and it infuriated him more to think that those piece of shit men had disrupted his sweet Princess' desire to enjoy an evening swim. A few seconds later, she tried once more to free her wrists and there was this very faint sniffle and the War God's attention was drawn to it and he finally took notice of the savagery in which he was keeping her prisoner. The imagery that he had before him suddenly made Ares appalled with his own actions, and simultaneously his hold on her wrists was finally released and he moved his hand to her chin and tried to turn her face back towards his own and at first she refused to meet his gaze as she moved her head away from his grasp. Ares observed how she softly kneaded her sore wrists and he tried once again to turn her face back to his own, desperately needing to look into her cerulean eyes, as if seeing them would tell him everything or deliver another slap across the face but the moment his fingertips touched her skin she again avoided looking at him and pulled her head away from him. He shook his head at her stubbornness and he once more took a hold of her chin and with the most loving of touches, he turned her face back to his own and this time she did not resist him._

_She stared intently up at him, steeling her features to show him that she was not afraid of him and didn't care what he thought. But her tear sheen eyes told the War God a whole different story, not that she was afraid of him of course- he knew from the moment they met that she wasn't, that was one of the things that he admired about her. She held her ground against him and didn't cower away from him but instead she defied him every chance she could get. No, her eyes shined with disappointment in herself for having let him down but little did she know that even when she screwed up he was still completely proud of her, she had kicked their asses before they had caught her off guard and his pride in her never wavered even when he was mad. She was something else entirely that made his immortal heart beat just a little faster and he tenderly ran his fingers down her cheek, but he could still feel her slight hesitation when he touched her and he didn't like that he made her cautious of him. He sighed out softly as he looked down at his Princess and his features softened a little, for some reason he could never bring himself to stay mad at her even when he had all the reasons in the world to._

_With a simple wave of his hand he __changed __her out of the dirty dress she was wearing and into a royal blue silken nightgown, which brought out her eyes so much that his breath caught in his throat for a moment as he gazed at he…__She __was simply stunning. He always thought that she was a Goddess- __since the first time he saw her in battle, when her sapphire eyes connected to his own, she had the War God hooked.__Back then, she had hypnotized him__ with those baby blues of hers while she dominated her small battlefield and he__ just__ knew that she was meant to be his. Her aura had exulted with War with such intensity that __it kept drawing__ him to her even after the battle was over, __despite that__ he told himself to ignore it and he tried really hard to stay away from her but he just couldn't. There was a greater force working against him that was slowly luring the War God to the Warrior Princess and on that day he knew that he had found his Chosen. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he then moved to lay down beside her on the bed and gently reached out and pulled her into his arms and placed her head softly against his chest. _

"_Sleep." he commanded her and soon he started to lovingly stroke her hair._

"_But what about training?" she asked anxiously while she __made herself__ more comfortable against him and discretely wiped away the few tears that managed to escape, "I thought we were…"_

"_We can train tomorrow." he told her sternly, but her subtleness did not go unnoticed by Ares and he tilted her face up towards his and finished wiping away what tears were left and then placed an affectionate kiss on the tip of her nose, "For once, don't fight me on this… just sleep." he told her again, brushing the last few tears away, not liking that he was the cause of those tears and then gently wrapped his free hand around her waist, securing her to him while he tenderly ran his fingers along her cheek. _

_But of course, his ever disobedient Princess __had to resist__ at first, choosing to act like his hold actually bothered her while she shifted restlessly against him for a few more moments. But soon she relaxed into him, nestling herself against him as close as possible, __all the while trying__ not to make it too obvious that what she really wanted was for him to tighten his hold as her arm casually began to make its way around his waist. Nevertheless, always seeming to know just what was going on in her head and what she needed, the War God __did just that,__ the moment her arm started to make its journey across his body,__ the__ movement making an almost inaudible, pleased sigh escape from her slightly parted lips and shortly, his Princess drifted off to sleep in his warm embrace with a soft smile lingering faintly on her face- __but __not before her own hold on him had increased its pressure, as if subconsciously wanting to make sure that he was going to stay with her even though he was mad at her. That seemingly insignificant movement made the War God forget the reason as to why he was angry with her to begin with as her tiny frame softly clung to his and, once he was sure that his lovely Princess was truly asleep, he tenderly placed quite a number of loving kisses against her head before affectionately nestling his head against hers, __instinctively holding__ her closer. _

_Several long hours had passed and Ares just laid there with her, softly caressing her hair before gently running his fingertips up and down her arm. She had scared him, the unexpected feeling of her in pain when he thought that she was safe in his temple had startled him. That was something that he had never experienced before and he didn't like the feeling one bit. Why couldn't she just listen, he chuckled softly to himself, she wouldn't be Xena if she had. That was one of the things that he was starting to love about her, she was independent and had a mind of her own and did what she wanted to do when she wanted to do it. So, if she wanted to go for a swim then tomorrow he was going to take his sweet Princess for a swim. He started to wonder when it was exactly that the scales had been tipped in her favor and made him abide by her wishes when it should have been the other way around. He figured that it had something to do with that small spark of joy that would come across her cerulean eyes, making him get lost more in them with the way they sparkled more brightly and that rare smile he would bring out of her from his few simple gestures. The War God loved what he was able to bring out of her and he pulled Xena more snuggly to himself, safeguarding her alongside him while his arm around her waist held her tightly to him and he placed a very adoring kiss on the top of her head…. She was going to be the death of him. _


	5. I'm Yours

Chapter 5

With determined steps, Xena quickly made her way down the different corridors and started to head out of the War God's temple. She wiped at the fresh trail of tears that had started to run down her cheeks again, telling herself over and over again how wrong she had been to actually return there. I mean, what did she really expect to happen? Did she really believe that things would magically turn back to what they were before- as if nothing had ever happened and she had just come back from one of her many battles with her army? The same army that he had helped her build, all that time that he had spent training her, teaching her what he knew so she could have a better grasp on every aspect of war and thus help making her undefeatable.

She had been so foolish back then, not realizing that through all her anger and thoughts of revenge, he had been the one to temper her down. Sure, he had turned her into a fierce warrior, giving her a focus so that raging fire within her didn't burn so wildly out of control and consume her, but he had also been the one that would pick up the pieces when some of the days had proven to be too much for her and he would put her back together.

He hadn't seen her any differently during those gloomy days either, always showing her the same amount of adoration whether she was viciously slashing her way through an opposing foe, cutting them down without a second thought or when her grief had decided to play the victor and start to consume her. He would just simply tend to her needs, bringing her back to the Halls of War and clearing the place out, so that no one else but himself could see just how troubled the thoughts that plagued her mind made her, always taking care of her as if she were the most important thing that mattered to him at that exact time and everything else faded from existence. It seemed like the world would just stop for a little while, slowly fading into the background and there were no wars that needed his attention, no generals that needed help after foolishly digging themselves into a hole that they couldn't get out of and no devious schemes meant to outwit his sister to weaken her defenses in Athens, nothing for however long it took. It was just the two of them and he would wait so patiently throughout all of her fits of rage during those tormenting, endless days, letting her take out her frustration on him until she had finally exhausted herself out and she would crumble to the ground a wreck and would just want to be left alone.

Nevertheless, that was what never happened- all the times when she had expected him to give up on her, when she constantly pushed him away, urging him to turn his back on what was a waste of his time and find himself a new warrior who wasn't as emotionally damaged as she was, he had surprised her over and over again. He would stand through her abuse as if it were nothing and whenever she was done and had no more fight left in her, he would just simply scoop her up into his arms as if nothing had happened and give her a bath. He would carry her to her room- which she always thought was so strange since he could have just simply materialized them there and save the extra time that the walk provided, but no, he had always chosen to walk the distance from his throne room to her bed chamber as if knowing that the prolonged contact was gradually healing her guilt ridden mind while his strong, protective arms softly encased her to him.

Once inside, he would gently place her down on the bed and then draw her a bath. Satisfied that he had it to her liking, he would walk back over to the bed and sit down beside her.

He would then place a protective kiss against her forehead and then whisper something softly in her ear, always seeming to know just what to say to calm that brewing storm that was forming within her. He would then move to slowly undress her, softly slipping her out of her battle leathers, all the while keeping his eyes locked on her sapphire ones and from time to time tenderly running the backs of his fingers down her cheek, making sure to scatter a few sweet kisses against her face and mouth while he removed more of her clothing. Once he got the fabric off of her completely, he would once again pick her up from the bed and carry her over to the tub and place her in the warm soothing water. Had anyone witness such scene they would have probably thought that she was some lost and frightened foal who needed protection when in fact she had just crushed another army earlier that day. Pleased that she was as clean as she would ever be, he would remove his Warrior Princess from the tub and lay her back down on the bed again.

The War God would cover her curvaceous form with a silk nightgown and then he would soon lie down on the bed next to her. Ares would gather her into his arms and softly begin to stroke her hair until she was relaxed enough to have fallen asleep in his warm embrace. He would give her the necessary time to heal, though he knew that it would take a lot more than a warm bath and a good night's sleep to do that, and when she was ready again he would be right there beside her, encouraging her on her little quests across Greece He always worked at growing deeper their bond- the same one which she hadn't realized at the time just how much it meant to her. She knew now that if the War God hadn't been there then she would have gotten engulfed into the darkening abyss that had been slowly consuming her soul, the frightening abyss from which- she really wasn't quite sure how exactly- he had managed to pull her out of it.

Trying to block out all of those horrid thoughts of him- those memories would do her no good anyway- she soon came to the temple doors and pulled them open roughly and stepped outside. She immediately halted her departure at the top of the temple steps, seeing that an unexpected storm appeared to have formed in the meantime. It was pouring outside and this certainly put a damper on her leaving given that the next town was about, roughly, five miles away and she would be soaked by the time she reached it. Then again, she wasn't sure where exactly her horse was at the moment. She had let him wander off and she hoped that he had been able to find himself a dry place to stay until this storm passed over, so walking to the next town was not looking very appealing to her either.

She huffed out an annoyed breath with the idea of having to be stuck here longer than she actually wanted to be and, not really having another choice on the matter, she eventually decided to stay for the night. Who was going to know anyway, there was no one there- plus, it seemed that her presence had gone unnoticed and they weren't going to know that she had actually spent the entire night there either. She soon made her way back inside the temple and started to head down a different corridor. The journey down this hall seemed to be a lot longer then she originally remembered it being, though she really wasn't walking that fast, just slow, cautious steps as she got nearer and nearer to where she wanted to go.

She soon came to a familiar wooden door and she stopped in front of it. She carefully placed her hand upon the handle and just stood there not really knowing if she should open it or not. She knew precisely what awaited her behind this door- it was Ares' bed chamber and with the long amount of time that she had spent living in his temple she had only ever been in this room once.

Against her better judgment, Xena started to think that maybe Ares was just sleeping behind this door and all she had to do was push it open in order to see him lying there. With that thought in mind, she started to think that all she had to do was silently make her way across the room and quietly crawl her way into the bed next to him and he would gently place his arms around her while she huddled up to him. She would place her head upon his chest and drift off to sleep in his warm embrace again- just like she had done so many times before- and a small hopeful grin formed on her face at the prospect. To be able to have a peaceful night's rest for the first time in years, in the only place where she could actually sleep through the whole night without waking up in the middle of it, unable to go back to sleep because her mind was never completely at rest and always feeling like there was something that she needed- was a welcomed relief for her.

She didn't know why she did it- probably because of some well hidden desire deep inside of her, probably because of the hope she was still holding on- but there was no denying it, she was very tempted by that scenario so she soon pushed open the door and stepped inside the room.

Her blue moons swiftly scanned the big bed chamber and her eyes soon landed on the bed and her small smile shortly faded when she saw that the room was completely empty. He was not there - it was just another vacant room in what seemed to be an unusually deserted temple and she scolded herself for having allowed her mind to even dwell in such stupid fantasies. Despite having tried not to do it, her eyes lingered on the bed for a moment longer then she should have, even though she tried to move her gaze from it but it was as if it had been enchanted and it held her prisoner.

It looked thoroughly used, the sheets crumpled messily, pillows strung out wildly on the floor and the bed and she didn't want to think about the reasons as to why it looked that way in the first place. It did trigger a memory nonetheless, one that she would rather not have remembered at that point in time but it cruelly conquered her mind anyway and she was forced to relive it.

_The War God and the Warrior Princess were lying in his bed, letting their passion filled bodies slowly cool down for a moment from their third round of passionate love making that they had just engaged in with each other. Ares was causally draped over the lower half of her body, one of her well-toned legs resting comfortably over his hip, teasingly allowing his fingers to trace along her stomach. He marveled at her beauty and he had shifted his gaze up to her face and watched as she just laid there - her __eyes were__ closed and __she __had a soft faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth, looking quite satisfied while he ran his fingers against her skin before he let his eyes roam greedily over her naked body. _

_He was just in wonder; he couldn't believe that he had finally made love to her, several amazing times so far that is. He had dreamt about this moment for a long time and it wasn't like he was a celibate before he had met her but making her his, claiming her body in all the ways that he had wanted to do for so long had him in a daze. She was just __incredibly__ perfect __and he couldn't help touching her. He soon began__ to run his fingers further along her body__, letting__ them glide slowly up her side and then moving them inward, below her breasts before tracing his way between them and, swirling the tips of his fingers around her nipple torturously for a few moments, __he made__ her shiver a little from the contact. _

_Wanting to continue with his teasing, he gradually made his way back down, moving at a snail's pace as he inched his way lower. Ares could feel the anticipation__ beginning__ to rise within her as his fingers moved lower, tracing her navel and then leisurely running them along her hip and to her thigh, where he ran his palm down her leg and then slowly back up. __He started__ to draw small circles against her inner thigh and when she shifted restlessly at his ministrations he knew that she was ready for him again. The hint of her arousal was glistening with the low candle light and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself within her again at the sight of it. Slowly, very slowly he started to inch his way higher up her thigh towards what he wanted most and he had her squirming in excitement from his teasing movements._

_Without giving her a chance to even think about what he was going to do next, he thrust his fingers into her and she had gasped out from the sudden penetration. He soon began to work his fingers in and out of her, watching her as she reacted to his touch. She belonged to him and the ecstasy that was being given to her from his loving ministrations had his need to claim her again building wildly inside of himself. He wanted her to say it, to say that she was his and only his and he increased his tempo. He leaned forward and placed a kiss against her taut belly while he continued to thrust his fingers within her with a little more force that caused her breaths to come out a little huskier._

"_You're mine." he whispered out as he placed a few more seductive kisses against her stomach._

_At this point, Xena was too lost in the pleasure that was engulfing her from his constant deep plunges within her that she wasn't paying any attention to what it was that he was saying. How could she when all she could think about was that growing desire within her? She longed for him to deliver her to what she knew was coming as his strokes began to grow more and more intense, causing her to moan out louder from it. But then, all of a sudden, just when she was going to get what she wanted he had pulled out of her. She frowned to herself and opened her eyes to see why he had stopped what he was so expertly doing and the next thing she knew, the War God was mounting her and he quickly thrust his cock within her, __filling her__ with what he knew she desperately __wanted so he soon took complete__ possession of her body . _

_A surprised gasp had escaped from Xena's mouth at feeling him stretching her so suddenly __but her__ low moan of pleasure at feeling him moving smoothly deeper inside of her was __abruptly smothered__ when her mouth was consumed by his. He gently coaxed her lips apart, plying them further open with his tongue and seeking entrance into her mouth, which she freely complied as the passionate kiss grew more hungrily. He began with short, slow movements within her- that were driving her completely crazy - and then he started to steadily move within her and the wave of pleasure that__ began __to course through her with each thrust had her drowning in an endless sea of pure passion. She thought that she heard him say something again just before he started to kiss against her neck, but she didn't quite make it out as her mind was falling deeper into her ecstasy. _

_It didn't last long until she__ started to meet his thrusts and the moans that were tumbling out of her mouth from each glorious copulation made her mewing sound foreign to herself, by the Gods, he knew how to pleasure a woman. The driving force of his cock as he reentered her relentlessly, Zeus almighty, it was the most exquisite __sensation __that she had ever felt. __He was__ filling her so completely __that__she had never believed it possible, but it was certainly an incredible experience. __As much as she was longing for her climax __though, __she didn't want it to end either, wanting to stay forever in this moment._

_Needless to say, every__ single one of her whimpers were filling the War God's head, making him plunge himself even more deeply inside of her, slow, hard deep thrusts that __made her scream every time.__ Her cries of pleasure began coming out needier, her back arching off of the bed as she desperately wanted to feel that burning hot explosion that was __already __building and he started to quicken his tempo, ramming himself within her at such a delicious pace that her hoarse moans of ecstasy had her brain filling with a fog for release. He was set on hearing her say what he wanted to hear though and he was not going to sate her need until those words had tumbled out of her sweet mouth._

_So with his little plan in motion, Ares had soon started to slow down his movements, moving at a torturous __pace now__. Was he trying to kill her with pleasure? If that was his goal then it was certainly working in his favor and one that she was gladly willing to succumb to if that meant that she could have him make love to her for eternity. She held him more tightly to herself, running her nails viciously down his back as her never-ending cycle of bliss consumed her. Oh, sweet Fates, how she wanted her end but at the same time she was enjoying his torture so much that her needy whimpers for a little more must have articulated to the War God because he had soon began to thrust his cock within her steadily,__ sending__ a whole new wave of pleasure within her and she cried out more from his well-aimed thrusts. __And then he spoke__ again__, but somehow__, this time the words seemed to have pierced that veil that was clouding her mind. _

"_**Mine, you're mine**__." Ares said possessively as he continued with his unwavering thrusts within her. He was going to have her say it even if he had to drag this endless course of love making out for the rest of the night. _

_She buried her face in the crook of his neck while he marked her a little more with his thrusts and wanting to leave a mark of her own, she bit down savagely against his shoulder, causing a primitive growl to form in Ares' throat from the feeling and making the angle of his thrusts change. At this point in their love making, she would have done anything for the War God to bring her to her blessed end the way she knew he could. She tried to see if she could somehow take control of this sweet torture but he stopped any and all attempts she tried to make and kept her firmly pinned beneath him. Her hands soon found their way to his backside and she tried to surge him into her harder, desperately wanting to come apart in his arms by the force of his cock. Her efforts were futile though and somehow- between the ever rising pleasure and the tempo of his engorged shaft filling her repeatedly - she wasn't really sure which, Ares had managed to capture each of her hands in one of his and he pinned them above her head. She was now completely helpless to the assault of passion while the War God continued to move leisurely within her and all she could do was raise her hips to cause a rewarding friction when he pushed back into her. She tried to wiggle her wrists free from his grasp, wanting dreadfully to wrap her arms around him, to feel his skin against hers and she urgently arched into him while he plunged into her again and again until he had finally released her hands and she quickly latched on to him._

"_Mine." he whispered against her ear in one of the most seductive tones that caused her body to shiver frenziedly and then he started to kiss against the pulsating vein on her neck and the two actions combined together, not to mention the incessant thrusts of his enflamed member filling her ever core with unimaginable pleasure, had Xena losing herself to him and he owned her completely at that moment._

"_Ares…. Aahh…__** Yours**__…." she moaned out while each plunge of his cock increased the level of ecstasy coursing through her veins, making her completely bewitched with his movements within her, "…. __**I'm yours**__….." the words tumbled out of her mouth without her even realizing what it was that she had just said. _

_Hearing her finally say it had ignited a feral passion within Ares, and after a few more languid thrusts, he moved himself within her with a fierce determination as she held on to him tightly while he passionately made love to her. The need to claim her was all he could think about and her guttural cries as he edged her closer to her end had him quickening his pace so his Princess could find her pleasurable oblivion. A few more delicious thrusts __later,__ and __those utterly__ unrestricted feral moans of passion __began __falling endlessly out of her mouth, and she convulsed around him uncontrollably and the intensity of her orgasm had dragged him along with her. _

_Minutes later, they__ both laid extremely sated in each other's arms, limbs lazily, and possessively wrapped around the other as their harsh pants softly caressed __the other's__ ear. He had put her through her paces with that one and he pulled her closer to himself and she placed her head against his chest, snuggling closer to him as their breathing slowly returned to normal. That had felt so amazingly good and Xena's body was still humming from it, it was as if he__ were__ still inside of her and her body trembled a little, causing the War God to tighten his hold around her. __He then__ let her rest, the night was far from over and they were just beginning. Ares had every intention of making love to her all night long and she was going to be the most pleasured woman in all of Greece by the time he was done with her and he soon placed a loving kiss on the top of her head while his Princess slowly fell into her slumber encased tenderly in his arms feeling incredibly satisfied…. and…. treasured…._

After having savagely fought to push the memory out of her head- not wanting to spend another second on that one- the Warrior Princess hastily made her way out of his room. The memories of the time she did stay in there were viciously invading her mind and that was not something she wanted to think about at that moment. It was too much to try and handle at that instant, the feelings that had been evoked out of her on that day as they made love passionately, so many times that she had lost count, were extremely intense. She had never felt anything quite like that since then and she knew that she was never going to have that chance again… Not now that she had finally managed to push the War God out of her life anyway - something that she thought that she would never have been able to do from the countless times she tried to do it in the past- with him always encroached by her efforts, constantly there, hovering, lingering, annoying… nurturing, holding, tenderly caressing, kissing… loving? Xena quickly snapped herself out of where her mind was going, what was she doing? Those thoughts did not need to be consuming her head.

Heading further down the hall, she soon came to the door that had once been her bed chamber whenever she stayed there. She wondered how drastically it had changed and soon pushed the door open only to see that the room was exactly the same way she had remembered it being. Everything looked like it had been perfectly preserved; there was nothing that was out of place. The clothes she had tossed carelessly on the floor when she had been too lazy to put them away were still there, the bed even still looked messy from the last time she had slept in it. She moved further into the room, not really believing what she was seeing. She would have thought that Ares would have gotten rid of everything that was hers and made way for his new warrior.

But nothing was out of place, even the few hairs that were on her brush still entwined themselves around it. The place looked amazingly up kept; there was no dust on anything, considering all the time that had passed. Who would take the time to clean a room when it was not being used by anyone? Xena started to think that maybe she was wrong in her assumption and the room was indeed being used by someone else but that thought didn't last long though because when she looked around the familiar room once more all she saw where all of her old belongings. No one new had occupied the space since she had left and it puzzled her greatly that Ares still kept it looking like someone was using it every day.

She walked over to her closet and pulled open the doors and all her old outfits were still in there. She started to look through the different articles of clothing and shortly started examining the shifts that she could wear to bed. They were her clothes after all and she could wear them if she wanted to. She came across this one black silk nightgown and pulled it out, Ares had given her that particular one and she soon slipped out of her battle leathers and put the garment on. She figured it was going to be the closest she was ever going to get to being close to him again, now that he had completely turned his back to her.

She made her way over to her bed and softly crawled her way under the covers and as she laid her head against the pillow, she just couldn't believe it, she must have been going insane but after all this time, it still smelled like him, but it was not just him but a mixture of them. The countless nights he had laid there with her had embedded his scent into the sheets and since it looked like the War God did not do anything to change the room, his aroma still lingered where he used to lay and hers also was mixed in with his scent as the two fragrances caressed the other. She huddled herself up in the spot where he normally would have been and wrapped the sheets around herself, taking in a deep breath of his masculine cologne that made a small warmth softly envelope her. It was definitely not the same but it was all she had at the moment and it was just going to have to do and she breathed his fragrance in deep again and she didn't realize how much she had actually missed it until that moment when it was filling her lungs once again. It made her feel like she could still feel his warmth next to her and she snuggled herself more into the empty space to try and surround herself with it completely.

She laid there for a few moments, just running her hand lightly over the pillow next to her- where she usually would have been lying when the War God would share her bed with her, which had turned out to be every night, as she would end up just lying in his arms and just fall asleep in them, soaking up his warm, comforting presence, knowing that he would keep the nightmares away without her ever having to ask. The security that she felt as she rested there was soothing her and that feeling was just what she needed and it eased her troubled mind a little for the night and she slowly allowed her eyes to close.

"Ares..." she whispered out almost inaudibly, one last unconscious attempt for him to hear her as her soul desperately longed for his and was reaching out to him through their bond, and one final tear had also made its way down her cheek while her mind started to drift off into her dreamscape.


	6. Tortured Soul

Chapter 6

Meanwhile, somewhere in his private quarters on Olympus, Ares suddenly felt his Chosen's presence more intensely- it was the very moment that she had set foot back on Greek soil.

Xena… there hadn't been a day that went by in which he hadn't thought about her constantly. She might have been out of his reach for the past few years but he had been watching her movements every day since the minute she had left him. Everything that had ever happened to her while she was gone, he knew all about it. The scheming, the destruction she had led, and the manipulation that she had let herself fall prey to by another. She had been too blinded by her rage to notice it in time and her failure really annoyed him. He had taught her better than that. He had also seen how that betrayal had sparked something in her- it was like the veil had finally been lifted and then there she was, his Princess had been reawakened from that enchanting illusion that she had foolishly let herself fall victim to. A glint had formed in her sapphire eyes while he watched her being tied to that pole, a look that he had seen countless times before when she went into battle and as her mind had settled on one single goal, he shivered in delight of what was to come and there was this tiny inkling within himself that he defensively chose to ignore wholeheartedly and that was telling him that he finally had his precious Princess back.

It was a focus that he had given her and that she had chosen, that only the Fates themselves know for some insane reason, to lock away the moment she had left Greece. He thought that if she had just listened to all that he had told her then she could have easily avoided that whole situation all together, not to mention quite a few other unfortunate circumstances that she had gotten herself into. But she was still too stubborn back then to admit that he had been right all along and her naivety had more than likely told her that she no longer had to listen to anything of what it was that he had to say anymore the second she was far enough away and therefore all of those stupid things had happened to her throughout the years.

Nonetheless, even from afar, he had tracked her movements the instant she had gotten back to Greece. He knew exactly where she was going the moment she had set off on her little journey and now there she was, standing in the middle of his throne room and calling out his name for him to come to her.

The moment those syllables had left her lips while her completely seductive voice spoke his name, the War God's entire body had trembled from the sensation while her voice thundered through his head as if she had been right there next to him. It was the first time she had said it in years and the way it had fallen from her lips, for some completely outrageous reason that he was denying considerably to himself, made him want to reclaim something that was always his to begin with. He wasn't sure what to do at that moment, it had been so long after all….Plus, what did she expect, for him to just show up as if nothing had happened… and she hadn't betrayed him? As if he was just her lap dog, an animal waiting patiently for his master to call him, well, she was certainly in for a surprise indeed.

And then, she suddenly left….One moment she was there and the other she just wasn't anymore. In all the time that she had been gone he had racked his brain over it again and again and he just couldn't figure it out what exactly it had been that had determined her to leave the way she did. She had an army, people were practically trembling at the mere mention of her name and anything and everything that she could have possibly wanted right at her fingertips if she had only asked him for it.

Regardless of all that, he knew deep down why she had left, the need to avenge her brother was strongly burning within her before he was given the chance to calm that storm and he didn't entirely blame her for wanting to finally kill the bastard who had murdered him. But he hated her with a violent passion, she was a devious snake that had slithered her way in when he should have kept her out.

The War God had never forgotten the day she left, it was always there in the back of his mind, tormenting his already tortured soul with a vicious slap across the face with how stupid he had been while he remembered that memory every day for the last six years and he still couldn't believe that he had let himself get so engulfed in her. Just thinking about it now, only made him replay those saddening events over and over again in his mind.

_While the voices seem to roar even louder in disagreement, Ares rolled his eyes slightly while he had to sit through yet another unimportant meeting on Olympus. How many of these stupid gatherings did they have to have a month? They were all pointless __in his opinion and he always said to himself that__ he could be spending his time elsewhere with something or someone that really needed his attention._

_It appeared __that this time it had been Hades' turn to jabber__ for about two hours on something that had to do with the newly arriving dead that entered the Underworld, and __Ares just had to bite his tongue in order not to snap at him.__His uncle seemed to be a little__ than overwhelmed with the work his Chosen was doing at the moment and if his uncle knew what was good for him then he would keep those little adjectives that he had used to describe her buried deep inside of himself unless he wanted Olympus to be__ repainted __with his blood. The War God smiled to himself as __he started__ to think about her, though she was never far from his mind to begin with. She was just the whole package, never had he seen a better warrior and that fire that she possessed just exhilarated his entire being. _

_His thoughts soon drifted from the meeting that he was pretending to be interested in, his attention only peaking when someone had been foolish enough to let slip a snide comment about his Xena, and wandered to the much more pleasant recent activities that he and his Princess had recently engaged in. Finally, after months of trying to control himself from just tying her to his bed and fucking her brains out, they had made love. He had let himself explore every inch of that tempting flesh that he had wanted to possess ever since her fiery blue eyes had first connected with his own. The feeling of himself joining with her as he slid his cock inside of her was a powerful moment. The pleasure that had clouded her eyes while he sunk his full length within her and the addictive moans that would tumble out of her mouth every time he thrust himself within her had drove him insane. _

_Regardless of how much time they spent together, he__ couldn't get enough of her gratifying whimpers __so he did his best to prolong__ her climax until her hoarse cries for release was all that he could think about and he __mindlessly __started to plunge himself into her until she had finally cried out from the building pleasure that sent her over the edge. They hadn't stopped there __though but he did give__ her a chance to catch her breath before he slowly worked his hand down between her thighs and slid his fingers into her. She had let out a deep wanton moan at the feeling of him moving his fingers in and out of her and he soon started to pleasure his Princess all over again, moving himself down on the bed where he then settled himself between her __legs, keeping on__ with his tempo and then slowly started to work his tongue against her clit. Her nectar was sweeter than any ambrosia he had ever remembered tasting and he lapped at her sensitive nub until she was withering at his ministrations, __thus sending her straight__ into another orgasm. _

_They had continued pleasuring one another throughout the whole night until they finally collapsed into each other's arms. That next morning had been one of the best mornings that he had ever remembered having in his long immortal life. Getting to see his Princess __wearing that__faint__ glow on her face while she slept curled up next to him after having been pleasured all night __was amazing__. Watching while her dazzling sapphire eyes finally fluttered opened from their slumber to meet his__, having the chance to lean__ in for a quick kiss that soon led to something else…__now that had been a memorable day indeed…..__ A few more passionate kisses later and he soon rolled on top of her and, like he was always meant to be there __and pushed__ his cock into her sweet depths and started to gently thrust himself within her. He began to make love to her slowly, letting the deliberate slow pace torture them both for something far more passionate but not allowing her to quicken the tempo as he kept her pinned beneath him while he leisurely moved himself in and out of her, __making sure to move__ at just the right pace to cause her immeasurable amounts pleasure but not enough to sate that need that was gradually building within her._

_The growing pleasure __gradually became__ even more delightful with his constant movements inside of her while he teased her and changed the tempo of his thrusts__. If he preferred to move__ torturously slow at times, __other times__ he plunged himself into her just a tad bit faster, __making sure to slow__ down his pace once again when he sensed that she was on the verge of coming apart in his arms. Her moans of __ecstasy were in the end the ones __to tell him everything he needed to know and then, when he didn't think she could possibly take any more, he__ swiftly__ changed the angle and a few quick thrusts into her later and they __were both tumbling__ off of that abyss together. _

_Minutes later, he was still laying __on top of her, gently running his hand slowly up her body while he kissed against her shoulder__ but then__, before he knew it, Xena had __unexpectedly__ reversed their positions,__ impaling__ herself on him. She soon started to fervently rock her hips against him, the slowness had been wonderful but she yearned for a little more and it wasn't long before Ares' hands had quickly latched onto her hips, setting the pace as he rocked her against himself more vigorously,__ thrusting__ himself into his Princess while she gyrated against him. Knowing exactly what she needed, he rolled them over and started to steadily thrust himself within her fast and hard, impaling her in such a way that had her moaning and panting uncontrollably from the sheer force of his thrusts while her hands gripped violently into the bed sheets as her ecstasy consumed her. Their moans of pleasure echoed off of the walls, their passion quickly building that pleasurable desire __that rushed to consume__ them both as he plunged his engorged shaft into her persistently and it wasn't long after that they had both given themselves over to each other again and collapsed together. _

_Just like the night before, the morning seemed to be a continuation of what they had started and it was well passed mid-day before either one of them had finally managed to pull themselves apart long enough to be able to crawl their way out of his bed. He had left to attend this less than stimulating meeting on Olympus and while his thoughts finally came back to the present, he was glad that it was finally over. _

_He couldn't believe it, but he had actually missed her in the short time that he had been away. There was just something different about her that just made him crave her presence and now that they had finally made love, he craved it even more. To be near her, to have her again,__ to get to hear__ her orgasmic cries of pleasure as he claimed her again and again __, plunging__ himself into her until they were both spent- __all that made him__ actually __unusually__ excited with knowing that he was seconds away from being in her presence again. He quickly vanished from his seat the moment Zeus had decreed that the meeting was now over._

_During his little trip through the ether, completely wrapped up in the now __familiar__ sensation that was running through his body, he made a beautiful red rose appear in his hand. He __remembered having heard her say__ that they were her favorite flowers when they had once walked by a bush full of them when he was showing her how to track and he planned on __pleasantly surprising her__. He had also made a new section to his temple and had planted several bushes in a small garden just for her, so she could always have them. _

_He had soon materialized in his throne room in the Halls of War and thought that it was strange that he didn't immediately feel her presence nearby, if he recalled correctly, she didn't have any plans for that day. __He impatiently searched__ the temple for her and found that she was in fact not there. He wondered where she could have gone and he searched for her through their bond. Having swiftly picked up on where her location was, __he used__the ether to get to her__, taking the stunning crimson rose along with him._

_It wasn't long before he reappeared on a dock and he thought that it was a little odd that she would be here. The War God looked around for a moment to see where she was and at first he couldn't find her but he knew she was there, he could feel that she was close and then he soon caught sight of her on a ship that was leaving Greece. What was she doing, he couldn't follow her where she was going and he had no real power at sea, since it was more of his uncle's domain and what type of plan was this? He had seen her stiffen a little and he knew that she had felt his presence but she did not turn around __to__ look in his direction at all even though he __dreadfully wanted__ for her to do just that, as if catching sight of her azure moons would clarify everything for him on what she had planned and he could help her prepare for it, just like they had always done. Nonetheless, that little __scenario was far from happening__ and she just stood there and blatantly ignored him, leaving with no word of where she was going or when or if she would be back and he felt this huge weight crash against his chest that he had never felt before- the feeling was absolutely horrible and he didn't like it one bit and it only grew more and more as he watched her drift further and further away from his vision. _

_After some time- he wasn't quite sure how long he had been standing there exactly- once the boat was completely gone from view, __he finally decided__to leave those damn docks.__ It was a good thing that he was still in the ether though because the wandering villagers that were going about their day, would have__ probably__ thought it odd for some man to just be standing __on there__ staring off into the empty horizon for so many hours. _

_At some point around the seventh __day of returning into the same spot,__ his senses started to come back to him and he slowly lowered his gaze to the rose he __was still holding firmly__ in his grasp. An unprecedented anger began to form within him at the sight of it and gradually his fist started to tighten around the __flower that__ started to slowly burn in his hand. The flames licked at the slightly wilted __rose__ until it __was __completely consumed and he opened his clenched fist and let the wind blow away the last remaining __ashes from __the palm of his hand._

_On that day, his heart __had hardened__ even more and an indescribable wrath formed within the War God that was more a defense mechanism for his broken heart __than anything else- a feeling __so intense that it __even__ affected the Goddess of Love __herself,__ who could feel her brother's pain since it had to do with a matter of the heart and she came to see what was wrong with him, knowing that there was only one thing that could have put him in such a state__, somehow__ fearing that the worst had happened. By the time she got to where she had sensed him to __be though,__ she came only to find a town __that had been completely __annihilated. _

While the memory slowly faded from his mind, Ares had also noticed the sadness that had started to seep into her eyes as she looked around his empty throne room when he didn't show up when she called out to him. He wasn't about to just give in to her deceitful ways again and he didn't need to answer her calls. She was no longer a concern to him and whatever it was she wished, he didn't want any part of it anymore. He had witnessed the lone tear that had run down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away. He didn't know why he didn't just close the damn portal and be down with it already. The War God never did like seeing her in pain and that tear had an unpleasant effect on him but he quickly shook that silly nonsense out of his head.

He watched as she quickly made her way out of his temple, good, he didn't want her there anyway. She might have still been his Chosen but she had forfeited her right to stay in any of his temples. He didn't need her sullying the place with her presence, she had done that enough already and he was still trying to get the lingering stench out of it after all this time. He looked on as she swiftly walked down the corridors…. she seemed to want to get out of there just as much as he wanted her gone but seeing that it was raining outside had quickly stopped her from leaving the temple. As a result, she had soon worked her way back down another hallway and he knew exactly where she was going.

Damn it, he didn't want her to go there, he didn't want her to see that he had kept her room preserved, that he had been silently hoping that she would come back to him one day- a foolish thought that Aphrodite had annoyingly instilled into his mind over and over again throughout the last few years, telling him constantly that the Warrior Princess just needed some space and when the time was right she would come back ….she would come back to him. Surprising him though, she had stopped at his bed chamber door, and he quickly took note of the small smile that formed on her face before she pushed the door open.

He couldn't help wondering what was all that smile about….those were rare and he knew that whatever it was, must have been something very special to her. Nevertheless, the moment she had set foot inside the room, it faded from her face as if it had never even been there and one didn't need to be an oracle to know what where the thoughts that were going through her head as she swiftly made her way out of the room after her eyes had lingered on the bed for a while.

In spite of knowing that he shouldn't, he curiously watched her as she made her way to her bed chamber and stepped inside. She had soon started to go through her old things and when she pulled out a shift he chastised himself for not being able to look away from her and he slapped himself to try and shake his eyes free from the portal but his efforts had little effect. What was it about her that had made her capture his attention so strongly?

She thus slipped out of her leather battle dress and his hungry eyes roamed over her naked curvaceous form, drinking in the sight of her like that again - in his temple out of all places- before she had covered herself. He felt himself harden at the sight of her and he quickly tried to get his urge under control, she always managed to turn him on so simply with only just a mere caress or look. She was a fiery little vixen and had only made his blood flow even faster, making him want to just fuck her senseless again and again. The spell that she had cast over him, apparently still had some lingering effects that he still needed to work through. After putting a little more effort into it, by some miracle he finally managed to pull his gaze away from the portal; he couldn't continue to look at her, knowing that she was that close again. No, he was not going to let her get inside his head like she had done before. Once was enough for him and he had learned from his mistakes.

"Ares..."

The sound of his name rang loud and clear throughout his head and his eyes immediately snapped back to the portal, not being able to resist the longing that was in her voice as she called out to him once more. What surprised him though was that she had unconsciously called for him in her sleep. She was reaching out to him through their bond and he could feel her need strongly while she silently summoned him to her in her slumber.

A completely rogue thought snuck its way inside his head at the sight of her and he fought it back the moment it tried to drill its nasty little meaning securely into his cerebrum, telling him that she must have been really lost if she was calling out for him. The War God had been her sole confidant in the past and he had managed to make her unburden her thoughts to him even when she wanted nothing more than to keep him out. Now here she was, desperately needing to unburden herself once again and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be the one that helped her and he would be damned if he was going to go down that path again.


	7. Can't Let Go

Chapter 7

After what seemed to have been an eternity of repeating it over and over again to himself- of what his next move was going to be- he continued to try and convince himself that he wasn't going to do it and he was actually going to turn his attention to his carefully laid plans- that had been set in motion a few weeks ago to get rid of a specific irritation to him. He wasn't going to get close, there was no need for him to do that, plus he had observed everything that he needed to see from up on Olympus anyway. Apart of that, he was very busy with something else that was far more important at the moment and he needed to focus on that instead. But yet, despite his any intention- every rational thought telling him not to- there he was, standing in her bed chamber and watching her sleep while he was still drilling into himself the notion of how he wasn't going to get any closer to that wretched woman.

He just glared at her while she laid carelessly- curled up cozily in the spot where he normally would have been, holding the covers tightly around herself. Look at her! The audacity she had to actually come back here as if she owned the place, well, things were about to change along with that silly thought she had apparently allowed to infect her mind because this was** his** temple and she was not welcomed here…not any more. Nevertheless, while his harsh gaze only seemed to turn more menacing towards the raven haired beauty who was infuriatingly keeping him from actually doing something useful with his time besides standing there and staring a hole through her while she just laid there and mocked him, the War God couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her.

For a reason that had cunningly snuck its way in, but he was trying to suppress what it was while it softly whispered in his mind, she seemed different to him, she still looked the same but there was something slightly different about her that hadn't been there before. The thought made him assess her more than he had actually intended to and he studied her silently for several more minutes- she was indeed his Princess- the countless times he had spent looking at that face before had forever seared it into his mind. She had come into his life like Greek fire, burning and scorching everything that had ever made sense to him for so long and ignited an inextinguishable flame within him that still burned strongly for her no matter how hard he tried to smother it and in a moment of weakness, and from the power that she still had over him, Ares' gaze faintly softened a little. The moonlight that illuminated her face made her look even more like a Goddess in his eyes, the florescent light casting a small glow to her already beautiful visage made him feel like he was dreaming while he let his eyes roam over her.

A few seconds later, realizing what he was doing and seeming to have finally succeeded in snapping himself out of his daydreaming, Ares cautiously made his way closer to the bed, just to stop abruptly once he was right next to it and glowered down at her. It could be all so easy, she seemed so defenseless as she laid there- definitely not aware of an ounce of the menacing danger that was just a few feet away from her. She had willingly served herself to him on a silver platter by coming here and his mind was whirling with what he could do to her.

He could end her life right now, he thought, and then he no longer had to deal with this constant annoyance in his life. He would be free of the chains that she had somehow managed to shackle him with. But how should he go about doing it exactly? He stared pensively at the empty spot on the bed for a few moments while he thought about it and he figured he could just hit her with a fireball and watch as she slowly withered away from his view. But then again, that might have been a too kind punishment for her. After all, he wanted her to suffer a slow agonizing death and that was going to be way too quick for her. He could always torture her on the other hand, chain her up and leisurely peel the skin off of her bones with a very dull blade. Yeah, really make her squeal as she slowly bled to death in this very bed. Oh, he really liked that idea, kind of poetic really to end it where it all started and then he could always do it again, fix her up and start all over again, thus making her understand that her fate was going to be the same every single day until he had finally grown bored with her and decided to end her pathetic life.

He was going to enjoy watching her suffer indeed, despite the fact that he didn't plan it to last a very long time. How much pain could she possibly take before she finally found a way to end her life herself he wondered? Still, that would sadly rob him of the satisfaction of doing it himself and he would have to make sure that those bindings where nice and tight once he put them on her.

While Ares was busy scheming up a million different ways that he could go about getting his revenge on her, a few reprehensible ideas filling his head and making a sadistic smile form on his face from the thought, the Warrior Princess had whimpered out lowly in distress in her sleep and that immediately caught the War God's attention and his glance turned instantly over to Xena.

That proved to be a huge mistake on his part though, for, watching her shift restlessly just to snuggle herself more into the bed, had erased all torturous thoughts out of his head and concern soon filled him at seeing her like that. His brows furrowed together, irritated at just how easily he had allowed himself to be persuaded with that preposterous sound. As much as he wanted to hurt her- and he was pretty sure that he could really act on those desires- looking at her like that, burrowing herself safely into the bed that they had once shared countless nights in the past, were doing things to his head. All the times that he had held her between those sheets, feeling her body pressed up against his and those fearful sapphire eyes of hers wildly searching out his calming auburn ones when she would wake up from a nightmare, comforting her troubled thoughts as she nestled herself securely back against him, tightening her hold around him just a small fraction, were running wild through his mind.

Could he really torture to death someone he had held so protectively in his arms so many times before and whom he had vowed to protect with his entire being for as long as he lived? All those countless nights spent soothing her and persuading her to relax within his arms, she had been working her way into his heart. Of course, theoretically he could, she was nothing to him anymore and he hastily pushed all of those nauseating thoughts of the two of them out of his mind and he quickly made a fire ball manifest in his hand and held his palm up, ready to toss it at her.

Then again, as if some unseen force had taken a hold of his arm, it did not move an inch from the position he had put it in. He willed himself dreadfully to just do it already, to summon the courage to let it go and make her burn for a moment and then to cruelly douse the flames just for the sheer pleasure of doing it again. The Fates were working fiercely against him though and Xena had whimpered out and shifted again, this time causing the sheet to fall down her body and thus exposing her form to him.

Without hesitation, as if bewitched by the mere sight alone, his auburn eyes swiftly drifted over her curvaceous form, hungrily taking all of her, and as her arm slowly started to drift towards the empty spot on the bed as if searching for something while she just laid there, his mind froze….

A sinister little thought soon entered his mind- one that was doing all sorts of damage to his original goal actually- Maybe his Princess had been patiently waiting for him to join her and for him to slip his arms around her and hold her flush up against himself…. The ball of fire disappeared from his hand a second later as that thought had stealthily worked its way into his mind and Ares just let out an exasperated breath at the situation, this was not how things were supposed to go at all and then he sat down on the bed beside her. He roughly rubbed his hands against his face while he desperately tried to wipe that thought from his head but it was persistent and in the end it only made him crave to do just that.

Who was he really trying to fool, came this utterly determined voice in his head that was set on driving him insane- and in response he ran his hands along his face more roughly, struggling to dispel these terrible ideas that were now invading his mind. He couldn't kill her himself no more than he liked the idea of someone else causing harm to his darling Princess, the voice kept whispering like a mantra throughout his head, to knowingly cause her physical harm and to draw pleasure from it, the thought started to nauseate him more than he should have let it and it annoyed him beyond words that even though she was sleeping, she was still getting to him.

Again, in opposition to what he was trying to strongly enforce to himself, the War God soon found himself lying down next to her, still gazing upon her gorgeous visage. The sight of those luscious, slightly parted lips of hers- sweet Fates he wanted to taste them so badly! The mere thought of plying them further open with his tongue, of getting lost in the recess of her mouth while he moved to reclaim her as his own, nudging those shapely legs apart just to ease his way between them was making him so hard that it hurt. With every second that passed, the desire to push his swollen cock into her slowly and just fuck her into the next century- getting to hear all her strangled cries of pure pleasure while he sunk his cock into her repeatedly and unrelentingly until she knew who the only one that was ever allowed to touch her was- was growing more and more unbearable. What was he going to do with her? He learned a long time ago that he could never just willingly let her go, if he could do that then he would have done it already, but things were not as they were before and going back to the way things were before he had met her, he didn't like that option either- he had already done that for six years and he was at a loss on how to proceed.

Not being able to take it anymore, knowing that she was right there within his grasp, he reached out and softly let his fingertips glide across her cheek and she leaned into the contact slightly. A faint smile that he was entirely unaware of, pulled at the War Gods lips- she longed for his touch just as much as he longed to touch her after all these years. He soon started to run his fingers through her silky raven tresses, Gods how he had missed doing that all this time. Before he knew it, they were just mere inches away from each other, the gap that had separated them seemed to have just magically disappeared within the matter of seconds the moment they had made contact. She was so close now, just a breath away, those tempting sweet lips just begging him to kiss them and the scent of her sweet, familiar fragrance, he just let himself get lost in it. Ares continued to work his fingers through her hair, watching how his Princess seemed to relax more and more with each gentle stroke and he soon started to run his fingers delicately down her arm, enjoying immensely the feeling of her silky skin under his soft caress yet again.

She had shivered a little when his hand had dipped down to her waist and then the unexpected happened. His Princess cuddled herself closer to him and before he knew it, she had started to nestle her head under his chin and her hand had slipped its way under his vest and wrapped around his waist. Hearing her inhale his scent while her face softly nuzzled against his chest and then sighing out content from the act, was affecting him greatly and, after hesitating for several tense minutes, he eventually wrapped his arm around her in return. A soft glow began to lighten up Ares' face and he started to gently run his hand up and down her back, enjoying immeasurably the sensation of having his Princess so close again, in his arms. He buried his face in her hair and breathed her addictive aroma in again and then planted a few kisses on the top of her head before he nestled his on top of hers.

He just laid there with her, soaking up this moment, feeling the contours of her body once more but then, out of nowhere, the warning bells started to go off in his mind. What was he doing? She had snuck her way in, pass his defenses the first time with scenarios such as these and he wasn't supposed to be letting her do the same thing again. No, he could no longer let her in the way he had done before. If she wanted to stay, then he guessed that was fine, but she wasn't going to worm her way back in. The walls were twice as high now and there was no more room for her behind them anymore, she had out stayed her welcome. She was a snake that he had trusted with something that he had never given to anyone before and he couldn't believe that he had let himself get so blinded with her to have actually given it to her in the first place.

She could stay, yes, but moments like these were never going to happen again. She needed to find her own way to do things and could no longer rely on him for anything- like she used to. If she had trouble sleeping, then that was her problem, not his and he was going to keep her out this time. He even told himself that he was going to pull away from her at any moment now, just remove his arm and get out of the bed and pretend that this whole minor setback had never happened and move on and finally close this chapter in his life. But he found himself still firmly locked around her though, those countless times of him wanting to never have her leave his embrace was even stronger at that moment and her soft hold around him, slightly clinging to him was making it all the more harder to finally pull himself away from his siren and his grip only tightened more and more around her the harder he fought to remove it. He just couldn't bring himself to let go of her no matter how hard he tried, the last time he did that she had disappeared on him and he had this small fear that was buried deep inside of himself that she would do it again- but he quickly banished that thought from his mind. Just when he felt like he had really managed to talk himself into it and he actually moved his arm a few minor inches, the unspeakable happened. ….Xena had moved her head faintly against his chest and her sweet lips had brushed against his exposed skin and he could have sworn that he had felt the lightest touch of a kiss from her that she had placed against his heart. He groaned to himself- if he was having a hard time leaving before, then that kiss had set him way back from the ground that he had gained to get out of this wretched bed. Gods damn it, she still held it firmly in her clutches and he thought that he had built himself a big enough defense against her to have taken it back from her by now, it was his after all and he didn't want her to have it anymore. Clearly, he was not as immune to his Princess as he had imagined he was. All over again, his voice of reason had decided to abandon him in his time of need and his grip around Xena soon tightened its hold considerably and after a few more minutes he returned her kiss with an affectionate one of his own to the top of her head. Ares soon found himself slipping right back into what he was supposed to be trying to avoid and he once again began to lovingly stroke her hair for several more precious moments, savoring the feel of her silky raven tresses, softly picking up a strand and bringing it closer to himself to inhale her intoxicating scent before resting his head against hers once again while he got lost in the moment.

But no, no, no, no… this could not happen, he couldn't let it happen, not again. He would only be a complete fool if he let himself fall victim to her devious mortal charms again. She was just a snake that had been sent to torture him. To have viciously gotten his hopes up that there was actually someone who cou… The War God quickly snapped himself out of that line of thinking when he realized where they were headed, what was he doing? That was exactly how it started the last time. She had lured him in with her amazing combat skills and then bewitched him with her seductive womanly charms and he did not want to go back to that. Despite the fierce thoughts that were telling him that she did make him feel alive, he pushed it from his mind once again and the War God soon started to disentangle himself from his sleeping Princess and all the thoughts of having her that close that were bringing to his mind he banished away viciously.

He started to wonder why he was being so gentle to begin with, what did it matter to him if he woke her up? But then again, that meant that he would be somehow forced to deal with those piercing sapphire eyes of hers and her just lying there next to him was enough at the moment. Having extracted himself out of her grasp completely, which proved a lot harder to do then he thought, since she just seemed to burrow herself closer to him every time he moved, the War God was soon just sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her, once again trying to motivate himself to leave and not just wrap her in his arms and hold on to her all night.

"Ares?" came the Warrior Princess' drowsy voice, sending jolts of shock throughout his body and he couldn't help but think that she sounded so damn sexy as she said it.

The sound of his name was like the greatest sensation he had ever felt since it was the sound of her silky voice that was saying it. He let himself get lost in it for a moment, the way it had flowed out of her mouth and gently caressed his ears, it sent shivers down his spine. It reminded him of so many times that she had uttered his name in the past, he loved the sound of it coming from her sweet lips. And when she was screaming it out in the throes of passion… ooohh boy…. he didn't know how but it was like a direct trigger to his libido, making him want to just make love to her forever so he could hear her say it over and over again, driving himself deeper and deeper within her and causing her highly addictive kitty cat like moans to fall out of her mouth endlessly.

While the Olympian's thoughts seemed to have drifted into a long ago fantasy, the Warrior Princess' still sleepy blue eyes wouldn't allow her to fully comprehend that the War God was actually there with her. She had thought that she was going insane when she had felt a cozy warmth engulf her, her skin practically going crazy from the sensation but seeing him there now just proved that he had been holding her. She wasn't really sure what to do next, he was just sitting there in some sort of trance and she wondered if he had even heard her. She didn't know what this meant exactly and why did he come now and not earlier? Not exactly sure how he was going to react, she had witnessed countless scenarios of a scorned War God ferociously getting his revenge on those who had dared turn against him and she wasn't sure where she stood with him any longer. She had opposed him in the past numerous times, but this was different and she gradually reached out and touched him, prepared for whatever consequences were going to happen as a result of her doing that and mainly because she really wanted to know whether or not she was just imagining this whole thing and touching him was the only way to see if this was real.

A few seconds later, Ares soon felt a very faint touch on his shoulder and his name had fallen from her mouth yet again, waking him up from his little daze. He cocked his head to the side, a bit annoyed that she had interrupted him from his little dream scrape when she was his and he had given himself to her. He cast her an almost vicious sneer and he took a small bit of satisfaction at the action with the way she had recoiled her hand from him.

But he still couldn't do this, her eyes, those were a sight that he had missed looking into greatly and he was not prepared for them just yet and as he gazed into them now, seeing the hesitant look in them, she actually seemed a little scared and he found himself getting lost in them once again. On its own accord, his hand started to drift up to her face, as if wanting to reassure her from any doubts that she might have had and that with him she was always safe but then he realized what he was doing and swiftly stopped himself, snapping his hand back to himself and then he just as quickly vanished from the room, leaving a somewhat stunned Warrior Princess behind to wonder if he had been actually there or not in the first place.


	8. Death Wish

Chapter 8

It had been a restless night that seemed to just drag on forever… No matter what she did, she couldn't go back to sleep. Her mind was too occupied with what had happened or better said what didn't happen, really. It was all so confusing…after all, he was there, Ares, she knew he had been in this very room, she wasn't going crazy and she had really touched him. However, instead of getting the reaction she was sure she was going to get from him, he had just left, leaving her to wonder why he had even come at all- just to torture her? She tossed and turned all night after that, spending a lot of time just staring up at the ceiling as if some magical answer was going to form on it and just when it seemed that she would finally be able to fall back asleep, that blasted sunlight began to infuriatingly shine on her face.

She groaned out irritated, pulling the covers over her head while trying to block it out, but even with the slight shade that it provided, she could still feel the heat beating down on her, keeping her from getting any type of rest at all. She growled annoyed, turning over and trying to will herself to just lose herself within Morpheus' clutches but it seemed that evenhe was avoiding her.

She would have thought that he would have jumped at the chance to torment her, she had certainly given him plenty of things to work with over the last few years that must have surely kept him busy, but what the Warrior Princess didn't know was that even the God of Dreams wasn't that stupid- she was Ares' Chosen and he had an unhealthy obsession with her and Morpheus certainly wouldn't have even thought of touching her, especially when she was within the War God's temple and he really didn't have a death wish either. Despite their little rift, that was just asking for all types of unwanted aggression from Ares and in the end the risk just wasn't worth the reward really, no matter how far away her guard dog was at the moment or how tempting.

After another thirty minutes of yearning for that blissful oblivion where her mind could just shut down for a while, Xena finally managed to start to drift off to sleep. She was just about to welcome that unconscious abyss with open arms when suddenly, there was a loud knock on her bed room door. The abrupt noise had startled her and it completely jolted her out of the early stages of sleep and now her mind was once again entirely awake and alert. Gods damn it, she just couldn't catch a break and she rubbed her hands against her face to wipe the sleep that was never going to come from it. For a moment, she just laid there, paying no attention to the sound that had disrupted her slumber, hoping that if she just ignored it then whoever it had been would just go away. There was no need for anyone to enter this room anyway, they never did before and she was certain, well, there was a bit of doubt behind that conviction that they still didn't. Just when it seemed that she had gotten her silent wish, there it was again, that bloody knock.

"What is it?!" she viciously yelled out, completely aggravated with whoever was standing on the other side of that door, how did anyone even know that there was someone inside anyway?

Within those small precious seconds that it took for the door to start to open, time seemed to have slowed down to a snail's pace and completely senseless thoughts decided that they wanted to invade her head at that time. What if it was Ares? Still, on the other hand he had never knocked before, in fact he hadn't even used the door and he usually just popped in whenever he wanted to. She sat up in her bed a little expectantly at the thought, unconsciously running her fingers through her hair a little and smoothing down her shift to look more presentable, not really knowing why she had even allowed that foolish thought to even cloud her mind. There was a certain sensation that was missing within the air and she knew it, even if for a second her thoughts had deceived her, it wasn't him. As to have been expected, what came walking through the door wasn't the tall, dark and dangerous Olympian that she was secretly hoping for at all, but a measly priestess with a small tray of food.

The Warrior Princess had never seen this woman before and she just cast her an annoyed look for having disturbed her when all she wanted to do was to rest. The girl had nervously made her way over to a table, shakily setting the tray down on it. Apparently, she had somehow managed to upset the person who was occupying this room. She couldn't help thinking that this woman's temper was just as bad as Lord Ares', I mean she was just doing what she was told. Now she could see why the others didn't want to be the one to come to this room. She looked over to the raven haired woman and cast her a small, friendly smile but it soon faded from her face with seeing the glowering expression that she had.

"What do you want?" Xena asked her angrily when it seemed that the blonde haired girl was just going to stand there and look at her all day.

"I brought you breakfast." she stated rather defensively, thinking that part was rather obvious to begin with, what else could she be doing walking around with a tray of food for?

After discreetly giving her a once over, the priestess just couldn't see what was so special about this woman that she couldn't get her own food. The others had whispered about her return, little bits and pieces about her that she couldn't quite pick up on before they had quickly stopped their chatter, fearing that somehow the War God might have heard them. Then saying that they needed to make sure that she didn't need anything per Lord Ares' orders but she didn't seem all that extraordinary to her. In fact, she was probably just some cheap slut who just happened to get lucky and had captured the War God's attention long enough for him to have fucked her and now she apparently thought she was something special. That thought made the priestess grow a little jealous, just who in Tartarus was this woman?! She undoubtedly just had the best sex of her life and somehow she had managed to get a lavish room out of it. The blonde was already starting to hate her, all she ever got was a quick, animalistic fuck against the altar table, way too quick as far as she was concerned - but it still was absolutely amazing.

She tried to not let it bother her though- in her mind she was his favorite and when he was done with this poor excuse for a woman, he would come back to her and she couldn't wait to have the War God bending her over his altar once more and having him ram his cock within her fiercely. It had been quite some time since their last passionate encounter and it annoyed her to some extent that he had chosen this filthy whore over her and now she had to bring this damn woman food right after they had just fucked and judging by the way the bed looked, it had been all night too. Envy coursed through her veins at the thought, what did her Lord see in her anyway, she was just a slut and she was absolutely disgusting, quite ghastly looking too if you asked her and since when did he even like brunettes anyway?

Yet, she still wasn't about to go against her Lord's commands, so she had done as told and brought the stupid tray. The raven haired woman could show a little more gratitude though, she was after all a guest in this temple and disrespecting one of the War God's own priestesses was probably not going to sit well with her patron God when he found out. She could certainly kiss her little cushioned life goodbye after that and the priestess couldn't help the small grin that appeared on her face from the thought. Lord Ares would deal with her properly for being so impolite.

"Is there something that you find amusing?" the Warrior Princess asked her, not at all thrilled that she was still standing there.

She already didn't like her, the fact that she was still standing in her room was only annoying her even more. Xena didn't miss for a second the way the blonde had judgmentally looked at her, the priestess must have thought that she didn't notice but she did, of course. She may have been tired but she wasn't that tired as to not know when someone was eyeing her negatively.

"Not at all My Lady." the blonde sweetly replied, a little too sweet for Xena's liking.

If she thought that she was going to fall for her pitiful act then she was certainly mistaken. This priestess really had no idea who it was that she was dealing with, she found it kind of funny really, someone in his service actually didn't know about her and in the end it really didn't matter. She didn't stand a chance anyway and whatever favor she thought she might have held with her patron God only paled in comparison to his Chosen's. She would learn soon enough to just stay out of her way and if she didn't, well, then she would learn.

"Cut the crap and just get out!" she ordered at her overly friendly smile.

The blonde girl's grin soon faded at the aggressiveness that she was receiving from this woman. How dare she talk to her like that, she was just so rude! She really didn't want be in this room any longer anyway and, not because the wretched woman told her to but because she had had enough of her, the priestess started to make her way towards the door, mumbling a few choice words under her breath with how disrespectful that little harpy was. She should be grateful and her bad temper wasn't going to get her very far, an attitude like that was only going to end up with her upsetting the War God if their paths crossed if she insulted him like that. But then again, that would be quite a show to witness and she was very eager to see what her Lord would do to the vulgar woman, she surely had a death wish if she even thought to refuse to comply to him in any way and the priestess really wanted to see how that little chit chat was going to go.

"Oh, and uh…" Xena began, causing the priestess to stop before getting to the door and turning back to look at her with a most pleasant smile adorning her face as if she knew some big dark secret that the Warrior Princess was completely unaware of, "… if you ever talk about me under your breath again, you'll know why the others didn't want to be the one to come here."

The blonde's eyes widened for a moment at her words, how did she even hear her? Her joyous grin soon faded and she huffed out an irritated breath and then left the room, seething at the audacity that the whore had to talk to her the way she was. That horrid woman wasn't going to know what was going to happen once Lord Ares found out.

After the blonde had, with very poor effort which left one to wonder whether or not she had just really lost a hold of it, slammed the door shut behind her, Xena had a very satisfied grin on her face with the way she had unsettled that priestess. They just never learned and if she knew what was good for her then she would squash that little revenge plot that the Warrior Princess just knew that the blonde was now trying to scheme within her head before she ended up dead.

A few seconds later, she let out a soft sigh and then looked around the confines of her room for a bit, thousands of different memories racing through her head while each part of the room seemed to bring to light something meaningful that had happened in a specific area with the War God before she banished it out and her eyes had wandered over to the food that the priestess had left behind. She made her way out of the bed and walked over to it to see what these priestesses considered as edible food around here.

Not really thinking anything of it or what it had actually implied, but she was quite surprised by it, the tray contained some of her favorite foods. So at least their taste in nourishment wasn't that bad after all and she swiftly helped herself to the small delicacies that were laid out in front of her. After finishing her meal, she started to contemplate her next course of action, she wasn't really sure what she was going to do now. She still needed to return to her village though, she wanted to see her mother after all this time and see what kind of relationship that they could still have.

A small smile began to form on her face, she could visit Lyceus too and she hoped that she would receive a more warm welcome then she did when she came here, although she really didn't expect one when she entered this temple but something would have been better than nothing. At least then, she would have known for sure whether she still meant something to him or not and she hated the fact that Ares had just brushed her off as if she were unimportant- that had bothered her more than she should have let it. At that thought, she frowned, her mind wandering to the unpromising events that were likely to unfold by going to Amphipolis and she wasn't entirely thrilled about going back to her village. She never felt like she belonged there anyway and she wasn't in any rush to walk into another unfriendly welcome, and she decided to put it off for a few days. Amphipolis wasn't going anywhere anyway and things couldn't possibly get any worse for her then they already were, right?


End file.
